Grouptale spinoff: SAVE Asriel
by ponystoriesandothers
Summary: Chara and Frisk have come to a particular timeline to save Chara's best friend, Asriel Dreemurr. On their journey, they not only meet familiar monsters, but certain fallen humans too. Whilst their party increases, their time is running short. Will Asriel be able to be saved? [Spin-off on my Grouptale story, but y'all don't have to read that one] [Cringe-inducing cover by me.]
1. Patience

**A/N: What's up people, aside from the ceiling. Before you read this, no, this isn't spoilers for the main Grouptale story. It's completely different (aside from the occasional reference hue hue). You don't have to go and read that one to understand this one, but you can if you want to know the characters better. Or maybe you've already read it XD This is just a spin-off, based on a different type of Grouptale AU. It's going to be much shorter than the other one. Also you'll never believe it, but Chara is here. So is Frisk! They're both named. And they speak! Wowie.**

 **There are quite a lot of people who I'd like to give shout outs to, but then I'd be here for five years XD But let's say a lot of them have given me some motivation to write things like this.**

 **No more talking, happy reading.**

* * *

Frisk was lying on some golden buttercups. That had been a long fall. They were surprised they hadn't injured themself. They had done this so many times yet they couldn't make sense of the fall. They shook their head. Petals were getting caught in their hair.

"Finally." a voice spoke beside them. It was Chara. They were sitting up, brushing their legs off. They stood up and looked around. "Come, Frisk. We don't have a lot of time." Frisk stood up. They put on a blank expression and followed the first human through the cavern. They were briskly walking. Frisk wondered how desperate Chara was. This was important, but…

Chara paused at the purple gate for a moment. They observed the symbol on top. Their expression seemed tense for a moment. Frisk patted their shoulder.

"Don't touch me." Chara said, brushing their hand away. "Affection is not our friend." They walked through the gate. Frisk sighed. Chara was so temperamental.

There was no Flowey to greet them in the first room. And even if there was, neither of the kids would've been fooled by his antics. They instead entered the RUINS: the lavish, purple brick-filled area that was full of puzzles. Chara had a nostalgic look in their eyes. They shook it off and kept walking. The first puzzle had already been solved for the kids, much to Chara's delight.

"I never liked puzzles anyway." they told Frisk. They were so tense. Frisk knew they were excited, but they couldn't help worrying about them. Frisk kept their blank slate face on. They were doing this for Chara. This was the only way to make them happy.

Chara bypassed the lakes with bridges. All the puzzles had already been completed. There was no Toriel either. Frisk found themself wondering what the heck was wrong with this timeline. Chara didn't seem to care. Frisk stayed behind them, eyeing the RUINS. They knew this place so well they could go through it blind and with their arms tied back their back. Frisk wouldn't do that, of course. They were not insane. They hoped, anyway.

The kids continued venturing through the RUINS. On the way, they ran into Froggit. Frisk wiggled their eyebrows.

Chara groaned. "Do your stupid flirting. Go on."

"Have you been in my throat?" Frisk seductively asked the Froggit. "Because baby, you make me croak."

"Croak…" Froggit blushed, even though they didn't understand what Frisk had said.

"I want to die again." Chara complained. The kids spared the Froggit and kept walking. They came to the spike puzzle.

"I assume you know how to do this?" Chara asked Frisk. The flirty human nodded. They grabbed Chara's hand and led them onto the spikes, which disappeared under their feet.

"Frisk!" Chara yelped, shooing them away. "Don't touch me!" Frisk sighed. Chara was certainly an individual they had to be patient with. They understood what Asriel meant when he described Chara as not the greatest person. Oh well. Frisk liked Chara too much to mind. At least at the moment.

Frisk led Chara across the puzzle. Chara was wincing every ten seconds. Frisk found themself more focused on Chara than the puzzle itself. Perhaps it was because Frisk knew the puzzle so well. And also, Frisk wanted to make sure Chara didn't hurt themself.

After the puzzle was finished, the two went into the next room. It was the Independence Test room. The kids eyed the long path ahead of them.

"Ah, I remember this very well," Chara said, making a face. "The test of independence." They paused. Frisk was giving them a look. "Of course I'm independent, Frisk. Do not give me that pathetic expression." Their voice was shaky. Frisk just looked suspicious. "Stop looking at me like that."

"If you're so independent, you wouldn't be doing this," Frisk told Chara. "I wouldn't be here either."

Chara looked a little surprised. They took a deep breath of composure, their blush increasing. "This is a rescue mission more than anything. It's not about friendship." They walked off before Frisk could bother them with anymore questions. Frisk sighed.

Frisk and Chara bypassed another area. It was full of red leaves and various monsters. Frisk SAVED using Chara's SAVE file. Chara and Frisk were forced to battle a few Whimsuns.

"I've got this," Frisk told Chara. They approached the Whimsun. "Hel-" The Whimsun ran off, sobbing hysterically.

"Too sensitive for consolation," Chara said, shrugging. The kids kept walking. They went past a few more puzzles and monsters, Chara urging that they waste no time. There were no main monsters such as Toriel or Napstablook yet. Frisk, however, insisted buying a spider donut. Chara was annoyed. Frisk gave Chara a look. They didn't have to rush. Frisk hoped they would find Toriel soon. Maybe she could knock some kind of sense into the first human.

* * *

They didn't find Toriel. They found someone completely different.

"Frisk, honestly, we're wasting time." Chara groaned, their arms folded. They were in the area with those patches of soft material you can fall through. The patches were against the walls.

"Chara, shush, I can hear something." Frisk told Chara. They listened. They could hear someone crying. It sounded like a child.

"Oh, it's probably just Whimsun," Chara grumbled. "Who cares? If we leave the RUINS soon we have less of a chance of running into Toriel." Frisk was walking off. "Frisk! You brat! Come back!"

Frisk ignored Chara. They walked over to a patch of soft material by the wall. The crying was coming from down there. They jumped down, twirling around. Chara was mumbling insults. At the bottom, Frisk found a patch of red leaves and a crying girl.

The girl didn't look too much older than they did. She had long, blonde hair tied back with a faded, red ribbon. She was wearing a short-sleeved white shirt with blue stripes. She was also wearing grey pants and black shoes. She had light blue eyes that she was currently wiping tears away from with her hand. In her other hand was a toy knife.

Frisk felt the girl was… familiar from somewhere. "Hey," they said gently. "Are you okay?"

"My leg hurts," the girl said. "And… Toriel isn't here… I… I can't get up… and I'm all out of bandages…"

"Well, that's okay," Frisk told her, smiling. "'Cause I've got plenty. I'll help you out of here." They helped the girl stand up. They put her arm around their shoulders. She was slightly bigger than them. Then again, so was everyone. Frisk turned towards the exit. Supporting the girl, they went towards it. The two tumbled out of the wall.

"About time," Chara grumbled. They eyed the girl. "What's she doing here?"

"Be nice, Chara!" Frisk told Chara, giving them a glare. They faced the girl. "That's my friend, Chara. They can be a bit mean but they… they don't really hate anyone." Frisk found trying to put Chara's personality in positive light was surprisingly difficult.

"I am not your friend, Frisk," Chara growled. They stared at the girl again. "Well, I suppose I'd better be courteous." They paused. They brushed off their shirt and straightened up. "Greetings. I am Chara. The First Human. My accomplice Frisk - the one who is currently supporting you - and myself are on a mission to SAVE my best friend, Asriel Dreemurr. We have entered this timeline as it may be our only hope to SAVE him."

"That's nice." the girl replied. She looked tired.

"Who are you?" Chara asked, folding their arms.

"My… my name is Faye…" the girl replied.

"What are you doing here, Faye?" Chara asked.

"I climbed up a mountain and I fell down." Faye answered. She winced. "My leg…"

"Well, now you know why we're here and we know why you're here," Chara said. They turned away. "Farewell. Let's go, Frisk."

"Chara!" Frisk yelped. "We can't just leave her here! She's hurt her leg!"

"Too bad," Chara replied. "This mission is not about saving humans, it is about rescuing my best friend. She'll slow us down."

"Oh…" Faye looked a little hurt by that.

Frisk frowned. "No she won't, Chara! She's lost and scared, just like you were! And she's hurt! Did Asriel abandon _you_ when _you_ were hurt?"

Chara made a face. They looked away for a moment. They took a deep breath.

"Alright," they said quietly. "She can come."

* * *

Frisk let Faye use their bandages. Chara continued being unreasonable and complained very frequently. The kids came to the pillar puzzle. After passing the first room, they came to the second room, where the path to continue was blocked. Chara glared at the colourful switches beside the pillars.

"Oh, fantastic," they groaned sarcastically. "A puzzle. A really efficient use of our time." They looked at Faye and Frisk. The two were putting bandages on each other. They were laughing quite a lot. Chara groaned. Frisk was such an optimist. They knew how to make people feel better. Didn't mean they knew how to make themself feel better.

"You two," Chara stepped in between them. "Quit your tomfoolery. We have a puzzle to solve!"

"Don't be such a downer, Chara," Frisk said, folding their arms. "We're just messing around."

"That is what I _don't_ want you to do," Chara snorted. "I cannot believe I have such awful accomplices. See, Frisk? I told you. She is slowing us down. She is distracting you."

Faye looked away. Frisk stood up and glared at Chara.

"I'll do your stupid puzzle, Chara," they said. "And I'll do it all by _myself_."

"Go on then." Chara said, folding their arms. Frisk walked over to a pillar nearby a gate. Faye bit her lip. Frisk encountered Loox on the way.

"Oh no," Faye said worriedly. "Frisk is in battle!"

"Good," Chara said, folding their arms. "I hope they get an eye in their rear end."

"You're not very nice to them." Faye said quietly, raising her brow.

"Why should I be?" Chara asked. "They don't deserve kindness."

"... why not?" Faye asked. She felt surprised. Frisk seemed like a nice child.

"Because they're…" Chara paused. "They are not the angel you think they are." The kids paused, watching Frisk dodge some attacks.

"They've got a red SOUL," Faye noticed after a bit of silence. "I thought we all had light blue SOULs…"

"I'm afraid not," Chara replied. "There are different SOULs and SOUL traits and whatnot. Yours is a light blue soul, so that means you're a soul of patience. Unfortunately I have the same SOUL trait as Frisk. A red soul." They paused. Their voice became very quiet. "(I mean, at least for now.)"

"Oh," Faye replied. "Hmm, I like my soul trait." Frisk pressed a button behind a pillar. With a determined expression, they went past Faye and Chara and to the next room. Faye looked at Chara. "I don't think I was very patient when I climbed up Mt. Ebott."

"What do you mean by that?" Chara asked, giving Faye a look.

"Well…" Faye paused. "My mom and dad were in a big car accident and they went to hospital. They've been in hospital for a really long time. Everyone was telling me I had to keep waiting and stuff, but… they weren't getting better. I had to go and live in Ebott with my aunt. She's… cool, but I really missed my parents. I don't think they'll ever get better. So I climbed up Mt. Ebott, so… I could be… dead like they were."

"I see," Chara replied. They could bring themself to feel slightly sympathetic. They knew what it was like to be alone. "I understand, don't you worry. However, my parents…" They trailed off. "Nevermind. My human parents are not ones I enjoy discussing." They looked away.

"I hope we can save your best friend," Faye said. She looked sad. "I don't have a best friend. I… knew some people back home but I didn't really have any… real friends."

"I do not recall having any friends before Asriel," Chara said. They paused. "And if I did? Well, it doesn't matter anymore. I dislike being friends with humans." Another pause. "(Most humans)." The blush on their cheeks had grown, just a little.

"Oooh, Chara!" Frisk teased, walking over. "I see you're making a new friend!"

"Shut up, Frisk." Chara grumbled, looking even more flustered. "Did you finish the puzzle?" Frisk nodded. They still had a stupid smirk on their face.

Faye giggled. "I like you guys. Do you think we're… f... f..."

"Friends?" Frisk finished. They nodded with a large smile. They patted Faye's shoulder. Faye grinned. Chara sighed.

"Affectionate gestures end now," they said. "We have _my_ best friend to save."

* * *

Faye followed the other two humans through the RUINS. According to Frisk, they were approaching Toriel's home. Toriel. Where had she gone? Toriel had told Faye to stay put, before leaving to take care of some business. Faye was patient, obviously, but she had been getting nervous. She had done… just a little bit of exploring, then she bumped into a monster and fell into that place…

Faye sighed. She just wanted to see Toriel again. Her mother was in hospital. She hadn't had a mother figure in a long time. Instead, she had just ended up injured and stuck. Thankfully two kids who looked surprisingly similar had found her. Faye wondered if they were related. Whatever the case, Faye felt lucky. Both of the kids were nice. Even Chara. Despite how mean they'd acted at first, Faye was beginning to like them. They weren't so bad.

After passing another room, the trio came to a space with a dead tree. It was surrounded by red leaves. For some reason, the dead leaves made Faye sad. She heard Toriel speaking ahead.

"Oh dear, that took longer than expected," the goat woman walked over to the children. Faye immediately felt relieved. For some reason, Chara seemed to have disappeared. Frisk was still there. At least. "How did you…" Toriel noticed Frisk. She gasped. "Oh my goodness…! Another fallen child?"

"That's Frisk," Faye told Toriel. "They rescued me when I hurt my leg."

"Oh...? How nice," Toriel said. She faced Frisk. "Hello, my child. How did you get here?" Frisk shrugged. Toriel made a face. She composed herself. "You must be very afraid. Fear not! I am Toriel, caretaker of the RUINS. I apologize sincerely as I was not able to greet you when you fell down. I was on an errand, so I was occupied. However! It seems you and Faye made it through the RUINS yourselves… barely injured!" She seemed astounded. She shook her head. "I should have enough of the surprise for the both of you. Come along." She turned and walked to her small, cute, purple-brick house.

 _Little does she know, I probably know the RUINS better than she does,_ Frisk thought. They frowned. _Where's Chara?_

Speak of the demon, the child emerged from the other room.

"Hi, Chara," Faye smiled at them. "Where did you go?"

"I apologize for my cowardice," Chara looked down. "I could not bring myself to face Toriel. You understand, don't you?"

"Toriel is Chara's adoptive mom," Frisk whispered to Faye. "However, they're supposed to be dead, and… after a long time… I guess they didn't want to relive those memories."

"I could have explained that myself," Chara grumbled. They twitched. "But whatever. You two… do whatever you please with Toriel. As long as it gets us out of the RUINS."

"Killing her?" Frisk jokingly suggested.

"I'll kill you first, Frisk," Chara spat back. "Let us go inside. And make sure I'm invisible to her motherly eye."


	2. Heartache

**A/N: Oh wow people are reading this XD Thanks guys! Hopefully this story will start to get a little better here.  
**

 **Also, I'll talk about this a little more in the actual Grouptale fic, but I drew this dude named Jinx198 (who's also writing a Grouptale story) a picture of all our humans together (it's on my DeviantArt iHateFridays, no I'm not self-advertising shut up) and he wrote a chapter about it in his Grouptale story. It's freaking awesome, you should all go read it now. :D**

 **Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays, depending on what you celebrate this time of year. :)**

* * *

"Do you smell that?" Toriel asked Frisk and Faye. Both of the kids nodded. They were inside Toriel's cutesy, wooden house. The main room had a staircase that led to the basement. A bookshelf and a potted plant were against the cream walls.

Toriel continued, "Surprise! It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I do hope you like butterscotch and cinnamon, Frisk. I thought we might celebrate your arrivals. I want you both to have a nice time living here. So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight." Frisk and Faye eyed each other. "Here, I have another surprise for you two." Toriel went right.

"Usually she bakes it with only butterscotch," Chara whispered, looking out from the doorway. "And I highly recommend avoiding the snail pie. It is… not a taste humans can enjoy. Most humans, anyway."

"I like the snail pie," Frisk grumbled. "I had it in another timeline."

"Remarkable, honestly," Chara shook their head. "You'd better follow her. I will catch up." Frisk nodded. They and Faye followed the path Toriel had taken. The kids came to a little wooden hallway with a carpet. Toriel was standing in front of a door.

"This is it," Toriel said. She took Frisk's hand as they were in front. Frisk took Faye's hand. Toriel showed them the door. "A room you can share. I hope you like it! I apologize about the lone bed. I will put another one in there soon."

"That's okay." Faye said quietly. She and Frisk weren't the most talkative people. Toriel ruffled the hair of the kids. Suddenly she looked afraid.

"Is something burning?" she asked. She frowned. "Um, make yourself at home!" She hurried off. Frisk and Faye stared at each other.

"I like her." Faye said.

"Me too," Frisk agreed. The kids went into the bedroom. It was a small, red room with a little bed, toys, a bunch of shoes, boxes, and a carpet. It looked like a suitable room for a child.

"Wow, this is a nice room…" Faye commented, looking around. She wished her room at her aunt's could be this nice. Frisk just nodded.

"Is this Chara's room?" Faye asked. She was looking at a drawing of a golden flower on the wall.

"No." Frisk answered.

"But I thought Toriel was their mom…" Faye said, raising her brow.

"She was," Chara said, striding in. "When she was, we lived in a different house. After… an incident… she moved back here." The 'incident' seemed to make Chara uncomfortable.

"Oh," Faye said. She shrugged. "Well, I like this room anyway."

"Of course," Chara said, folding their arms. "It is such a childish place. Very lovely indeed. But we can't stay here. We must leave soon."

"Oh…" Faye looked a little downcast. She quite liked the RUINS. It was small, but it was cute, simple, and almost felt welcome. Chara noticed this.

"If you wish to stay here, then we will not stop you," they told her. "Frisk and myself can find Asriel just fine without a third party member." Frisk didn't say anything. Chara noticed they were frowning.

"Wow, really?" Faye asked. She laughed anxiously. "That's… really nice of you."

"Did you expect me to yell at you and force you to come with us?" Chara asked, folding their arms. "Of course not. The less the merrier I say. Frisk and I, however, must abscond right at this moment."

"Now?" Frisk asked, raising their brow.

"But the butterscotch-cinnamon pie…" Faye sighed. She gave her new friends a small smile. "Well… it was nice to meet you guys…"

"Thank you, Faye," Chara said. They turned to Frisk. "You know the drill, Frisk. This is an unkind world. We must leave if we wish to SAVE Asriel. And we must respect Faye's opinion."

"I know, Chara," they replied. "But can we have some Butterscotch-Cinnamon pie first?"

"No." Chara grumbled.

"There's a chocolate bar in Toriel's fridge." Frisk said, wiggling their eyebrows.

"Very well." Chara sighed.

* * *

Faye and Frisk exited the bedroom. They went past the room with the staircase. They came to another room with a dining table, a bookshelf, and a fireplace. There were fire tools in the corner as well. Toriel was placing two pieces of pie on the table, a smile on her face.

"Hello, my children," Toriel noticed the kids. "I was just about to get you. Here is your pie."

"Thank you, Toriel." Faye said quietly. Frisk nodded. The kids sat down at the table, facing the pie. Frisk didn't seem to be very hungry. Faye had a small bit of her pie.

"Oh wow, it's really good…" she said, grinning. Her aunt couldn't top that crap. She had a little more. Toriel patted her head. Frisk hadn't had any of theirs. They were sort of just giving Faye a friendly glance. Chara noticed they seemed to enjoy her presence. Then they realized that Frisk probably didn't want to leave Faye behind. Chara sighed. This was their mission, not Frisk's. They were the boss. They decided what happened, and since Faye wanted to stay behind, Chara would let her do that. Yet, even though they hadn't known Faye long, they… couldn't help but feel upset…

"Are you not hungry, Frisk?" Toriel asked them. Frisk shook their head. Chara, watching them from the corridor, rolled their eyes. Frisk was the one who wanted pie, and they weren't even having any. Chara assumed they would have some later. If they remembered. That reminded Chara of the chocolate bar in the fridge. They smirked. Mission-impossible style, they snuck by Toriel and went to the kitchen.

"Well… you can have it later then." Toriel said, patting Frisk's head. Frisk fixed their hair.

"I'll have mine later, too, actually…" Faye said. She hadn't eaten a whole lot. Chara, overhearing this conversation, wondered what was wrong with these crazy children. They would've already eaten their pie if _they'd_ gotten some. In a neat and orderly fashion of course. Chara was a strong supporter of etiquette. Even if they were hypocritically pinching a chocolate bar from Toriel's fridge.

"That is fine," Toriel said. She smiled again. "You children look tired. How about you go to bed?"

"Actually, Toriel," Frisk stood up. Determination was on their face. The expression, not the actual stuff, that is. "I'm not going to bed. I'm leaving. Tell me how to leave the RUINS."

"Erm…" Toriel looked flustered. She put on a smile. "How about I share a book with you? It is called, '72 Uses for Snails'. How about it?"

"Tell me how to leave the RUINS." Frisk repeated, soundly faintly irritated.

"Here is an exciting snail fact," Toriel said, ignoring them. "Did you know that snails make terrible shoelaces? Interesting."

"Tell me how to leave the RUINS!" Frisk repeated sternly. "Or I'll do it myself!" Faye leaned back. She didn't expect them to shout.

"... I have to do something," Toriel said. "Stay here." She got up and left. She speed-walked to the basement.

"Not today." Frisk grumbled. They speed-walked after Toriel.

"Now who is the impatient one?" Chara asked, folding their arms. They were nibbling on a bar of chocolate. "Hypocritical child." They looked at Faye, who just looked upset. "Well, it was… a somewhat pleasant experience being in your presence. Farewell, Faye." Chara walked off, briefly glancing back. The chocolate wasn't making them feel any better about leaving Faye behind. They pretended they didn't feel sad. It was just some human child after all. Still, Chara kept their head down. Faye stood there for a few moments.

"Wait!" she yelped. "I… I changed my mind…! I wanna come with you!"

"Do you now?" Chara asked, raising their brow. They ignored the relief flowing through them. "Why is that so? I thought you liked it here."

"I do, but…" Faye took a deep breath. "I… like being with you guys as well. I mean, if you want me to stay, I will… but I… I don't wanna miss out being with you guys. You're the first real friends I've ever had."

Chara blushed even more. "That is a good enough reason for me. Come along."

* * *

Chara and Faye walked through the basement. They could hear Toriel's soft, motherly voice and Frisk's footsteps. Faye hugged her arms. The basement was a long, purple… well, basement, that really gave off some eerie vibes. She didn't like this place too much. She began to wonder if coming along was such a good idea after all. Chara just kept their head down.

"Frisk sounded… mad before…" Faye mumbled. "Are they okay…?"

"They're desperate to leave," Chara told her. "Though admittedly I found their behaviour rather rude. Oh well, not much more you can expect from a determined child. But I've noticed…" Chara almost smirked. "They like you very much."

"They have a crush on me?" Faye asked, blushing.

"Frisk has a crush on everybody," Chara replied, shrugging. Their smirk became sly. "But with some… their crushes are quite… significant."

"Oh…" Faye looked thoughtful. She made a face. "Does that mean Frisk has a 'significant' crush on you?"

"W-what?" Chara's face turned red. "Bleh! I should hope not. I would rather get into a relationship with Toriel's sock drawer than them! At least socks do not speak!" They pretended they weren't embarrassed. Even if Frisk did like them in that way, Chara knew for sure they did not return those feelings! No way.

"There they are." Faye was staring at Frisk. They were ahead, nearby a bend. "Frisk!" Frisk was watching Toriel walk away.

Frisk turned and stared at the two, their eyes closed. They were surprised to see Faye there.

"What're you doing here, Faye?" they asked. "I thought you weren't coming."

"I changed my mind…" Faye said shyly. "If you don't mind."

"No, it's fine!" Frisk rebuked cheerfully. "It's nice to have another buddy come along!" Their voice became seductive. They gave Faye finger guns. "Especially you, baby."

"Oh, uh, thanks…" Faye replied. Frisk's face lit up like they had an idea.

"Hey, Faye, can you hold something for me?" they asked. They had a flirty expression.

"Uh, okay," Faye said, staring at them. "What is it?"

"My hand." Frisk said seductively, holding out their hand. They held their stick between their teeth. _Careless Whisper_ by George Michael played in the background and rose petals… somehow… fell from the ceiling. **[A/N: If you know where that reference is from, you get a virtual cookie.]**

"I want to die again and never wake up." Chara groaned, face-palming. Faye blushed. Frisk brushed their hair out of their face, giving Faye a wink. Faye hesitated, but actually held Frisk's hand. Chara face-palmed again. Frisk led Faye into the next room, still holding her hand. They ignored all the Fayeden shippers going ballistic and throwing tomatoes at their head.

But come on, this scene is supposed to be serious. I mean, it's the Toriel fight. Good gracious people.

"You want to leave so badly?" Toriel asked, not facing Frisk and Faye. She was instead facing the exit: a purple door with that symbol. "Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this." That made Faye wonder about the other humans (yes, Toriel had mentioned the other humans). Would Frisk, Faye and Chara meet anymore? But then she realized what this meant. Was… Toriel going to fight them? Faye couldn't bring herself to believe it. Toriel was lovely. Faye didn't think she'd be able to hurt her.

"Toriel…" she whispered. She found herself tightly clinging onto Frisk's hand. She needed the consoling right now. Frisk squeezed her hand back, giving her a look that said, 'it's okay'. Faye realized that despite all the flirting, occasional stubbornness, and sometimes harsh nature, Frisk was a good child underneath. And now Faye had no regrets for leaving the RUINS behind.

"Prove yourselves…" Toriel said. She paused. "Prove to me you are strong enough to survive." She turned around and faced the children. A battle initiated.

"Toriel blocks the way…" someone - Chara - mumbled from somewhere. They didn't sound very happy. Faye bit her lip. She held back her feelings. She couldn't afford to feel sad now. Frisk was still holding her hand. Toriel was giving the both of them an assertive, intense glare.

"Toriel…" Faye spoke up quietly. She couldn't fight Toriel. Not like this. "Please… we don't want to fight you." Frisk nodded in agreement. They gave Faye's hand another squeeze. Faye reluctantly held out her toy knife anyway, hoping she wouldn't have to use it.

Toriel raised her paws which were currently glowing with flames. She seemed to be holding tears back as well. Faye and Frisk were hugging each other now. It was just them vs Goat Momma. Faye breathed out slowly. She couldn't stop shaking.

The fire was glowing brighter… Faye closed her eyes. She felt herself sweat-beading.

"WAIT! STOP!" someone yelled. Chara appeared, their hands laced together. They paused. "I mean… please, Toriel, stop. Do not hurt them."

"Chara…" Toriel seemed lost for words. "Is that you…?" She raced over and gave Chara a massive hug, lifting them off their feet. "I thought you were…!" Toriel's voice was caked with emotions. Chara had a small smile on their face, though they were twitching uncomfortably.

"Please put me down." they said. Toriel released the child, though she couldn't stop staring at them. Chara's blush had gotten quite large. Frisk and Faye watched in awe.

"You… you have come back!" Toriel exclaimed emotionally. "Chara… I cannot believe after all these years…"

"Toriel," Chara began. They looked away. They were still trembling. "Forgive me, but the others and I have to leave. We're going to save Asriel."

"Asriel…?" Toriel asked, wiping her eyes.

"That's right," Chara replied, looking down. "Your son. My best friend. And if we want to have that chance, then we have to leave… right now."

"But… you just got here…" Toriel sniffled out. She took a deep breath. "No. I understand. This is an important mission. More important than keeping you here. I believe you and your friends are capable of achieving it."

"They're not my friends." Chara mumbled, biting their lip.

"Allow me to join you." Toriel said, standing up.

"No, mo- Toriel, please, don't," Chara said, waving their hands. "My colleagues and I can handle this ourselves."

"That's what Chara was afraid of," Frisk told Faye. "They didn't want Toriel to come with us."

"But I like Toriel..." Faye said, sad again.

"Chara does as well, but they don't want her to get hurt," Frisk said, biting their lip. "I think there are other reasons, but Chara won't tell me them."

"Oh," Faye said. She observed Chara giving Toriel a sad expression. They were twitching. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the child. She was beginning to see that underneath their rude and brash act, they seemed to be a very sensitive individual. "Poor Chara."

"Yeah." Frisk agreed. Toriel gave Chara another hug, tears building up in her eyes. Chara sighed.

"What about you, Frisk?" Faye asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Frisk replied. Their expression was stoic. Faye found herself wondering if Frisk was fibbing. They seemed to keep everything zipped up, sort of like Chara. But they had a different approach, rather than being cynical. They acted like it wasn't a big deal. Faye liked her new friends, but they sure were full of secrets.

"My children," Toriel faced Frisk and Faye. "Chara has informed me that you are on a quest to save my son, Asriel Dreemurr." She paused. "I wish you all the best of luck. I cannot say I do not feel uncertain about allowing children like yourselves to explore the underground with adult supervision, but Chara informs me you will be fine."

"So… this is goodbye?" Faye asked. She wiped her eyes. Frisk squeezed her shoulder. Don't worry Fayeden shippers, they're not holding hands anymore.

"I… I am afraid so." Toriel paused. "After you leave, please… do not come back until you have found my son. I hope you understand." She gave Faye and Frisk a warm hug. Chara watched from the side, still blushing. Faye sobbed into Toriel's dress. Part of her wanted to stay all over again.

"Faye," Toriel whispered. "Please… keep an eye on them for me, won't you? Chara can be very commanding and harsh, and I feel Frisk may lose their patience after a while. I have already seen the way they glare at Chara. So please… do this small favour for me, will you not?"

"Okay, Toriel," Faye said. Now she knew she had to come along. Someone needed to look after those genderless kids.

"Thank you." Toriel whispered, patting her head. She whispered something to Frisk, then she stood up. She walked away, eyeing the three children. "Goodbye, my children." Then she exited the room.

"Toriel…" Faye said, her voice clogged up with emotion.

Chara took a deep breath. "Yes, I know that was an emotional experience. But we cannot beat around the bush. Come along." They opened the door. They walked down the hall, the others following. Frisk gave Faye a smile. They looked so hopeful, Faye couldn't help but believe in herself for once. Chara just keep walking, their head down. They were observing their sleeve. They didn't look very happy about something on their hand. They put their hand in their pocket.

The kids approached a patch of green grass. Flowey was actually there this time, a sly grin on his face. The awful buttercup brought back horrible memories. Faye shivered. She did not want to see this flower. He hadn't been very nice to her when she fell down. And by that I mean he tried to kill her.

"Clever," Flowey mocked. "Very cl…" He observed Chara. "C… Chara?"

"Greetings, Flowey," Chara said, their voice stoic. "Don't mind us. We are just passing by."

"Chara, it's me!" Flowey yelped. "Your best friend!"

"Mmm," Chara replied. They did not sound interested. "Very much. Come along, accomplices." They walked around Flowey, the others following. Faye found this conversation… slightly strange. What was Flowey talking about?

"Chara!" Flowey squeaked desperately. "It's me!"

"I know it's you, Flowey," Chara responded, their back turned. They mumbled, "Fear not. I will save you, Azzy."

"Chara!" Flowey yelled. He sounded... almost afraid. Like he was afraid to see Chara leave.

"But for now," Chara said, biting their lip. "You are not my best friend. You differ very much from him. I know you are in there, but for now, you are not. Do not speak to me, Flowey. Don't get in my way, either." They opened the purple door, Frisk and Faye behind them. Frisk had their brow raised. Faye really didn't know what to say.

"Goodbye, Flowey." Chara said, walking through the doorway. They ignored Flowey shouting their name. Chara shook their head. They couldn't put up with Flowey. Not now. They didn't have the emotional strength. But they had promised one thing: they would save him. Asriel would return. Chara was sure of it.

* * *

 **A/N: Faye and Frisk are getting a little too close for all you Fayeden shippers, huh? XD Don't worry, Frayesk is purely one-sided. Faye doesn't like Frisk the way they like her. I mean, at least I'll let you think that. Hee hee hee.**

 **If you haven't read the main story, you probably have no idea what Fayeden is. Fear not, you'll find out soon enough. ;)**

 **Hope you liked this chapter everyone! :D**


	3. Bravery

**A/N: JINGLE BELL JINGLE BELL JINGLE BELL ROCK~**

 **The reference was from JaidenAnimations! Well done to the people who got it.**

 **Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays boys and girls and others! Oooh this chapter contains drama. Also for some reason, writing chapters about Brayden usually take about three re-writes for some reason...**

* * *

"Fantastic," Chara groaned, hugging their arms. "I forgot how cold it would be." The kids had ended up in Snowdin forest. Surrounding them were trees. They were standing on snow-covered ground, facing a bridge ahead. Behind them was the purple door that led to the RUINS, locked tight.

"Oh, there's a camera in the bush," Faye said, noticing a bush. She was shivering from the cold.

"That's just Alphys, don't worry about it." Frisk said. They were wearing red gloves that said, 'punching stuff fills me with DETERMINATION'.

"How long have you been wielding those?" Chara asked, eyeing Frisk's gloves.

"Since now." Frisk replied.

"Who's Alphys?" Faye asked, staring at Frisk.

"Halt the talking!" Chara ordered. They paused. "We have to go." The kids followed the path, going through the creepy forest. Faye looked slightly anxious. Frisk didn't look scared at all. Chara was still hugging themself. They looked chilly as well. Faye held her head up, just a little. Toriel was trusting her to watch these two. She knew she had to do her best.

The kids walked over a branch. As soon as they left it behind, it snapped in two. Faye yelped.

"It's just Sans." Frisk said, shrugging.

"Sans is that skeleton, yes?" Chara asked. Frisk nodded. They gave Faye another pat on the shoulder, their grin reassuring. She relaxed a little. The others could look after her as well. The baby humans continued walking, approaching a gate. That's when they heard heavy footsteps behind them. Faye trembled. She didn't like this. Frisk didn't look scared. They put their arm around Faye, again ignoring the Fayeden shippers. Chara was glaring at the gate.

"Humans," the figure spoke slowly. Frisk turned around and stared at him. They offered their hand. "Don't you know… oh, heh, I guess you do know how to greet a new pal." Frisk shook his hand. There was the sound of a fart. Chara groaned. Faye held back a giggle.

"heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick," the figure chuckled. It was revealed he was a chubby skeleton wearing a blue hoodie. "it's ALWAYS funny. anyways, you're humans, right?"

"I'm afraid so." Chara responded dryly.

"that's hilarious," Sans laughed. "im sans. sans the skeleton. i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. believe it or not, i saw another one come through here, not that long ago." Frisk raised their brow in interest. Faye bit her lip. Another human had come through?

"As fascinating as this conversation is, I'm afraid I have to cut it short," Chara spoke up. "Allow me to introduce myself." They cleared their throat. "Greetings. I am Chara. These are my fr- accomplices, Frisk and Faye." The respective children waved. "We are on a mission to SAVE my best friend, Asriel Dreemurr. I'm afraid we are on a bit of a schedule, so please, do us a small favour and stay out of our way as we venture through this snow-covered cavern. Thank you for your consideration." Chara turned around. "Come along, accomplices."

"hold up," Sans held up a hand. "i mean, i'll stay out of your way no problem, but my bro… that's a different story. he's a human hunting FANATIC. he'll try pretty much anything to capture you three."

"I do not care about your brother," Chara grumbled. Their glare was intense. Their voice became harsh. "We are on a time limit! We can't afford to mess around, do you understand?!" They looked angry.

"Um… Chara…" Faye spoke up quietly. "Maybe you should… calm down… a little."

"I will calm down when this is over!" Chara yelled. They took a deep breath. "Forgive me Sans, but we really have to leave. You understand, do you not?"

Sans sighed. "fine. i've got you covered. i'll help make your journey a little quicker. but just do me one favour in return." Chara raised an eyebrow. "just… go along with whatever my bro wants you to do. he's never seen a human before. it'd really make his day. don't worry, he's not dangerous. even if he tries to be."

"Must we really?" Chara groaned.

"Come on Chara," Frisk said, folding their arms. "Sans is doing us a favour." Faye nodded. Chara made a face.

"Very well," they said. "We will agree to your terms, Sans."

"cool," Sans replied. "my bro's coming now, actually. you kids had better get behind those lamps - and fast. while i'm talking to him, you kids can leave. take the lamps with you."

"But won't he see us?" Chara asked.

Sans smirked. "i've got it covered. chill out, chara."

* * *

The tall skeleton did show up. He was wearing his signature red scarf, gloves and boots. As well as his shiny armour. Frisk, Faye and Chara stood behind three conveniently shaped lamps, nearby a sentry station. There was a fourth one that had been knocked over. Faye guessed it was from that other human Sans mentioned. The kids watched Sans and Papyrus talk about some stuff the author isn't writing down so this chapter isn't 8,000 words.

"i've done a ton of work today," Sans winked. "a skele-ton." Faye tried not to giggle. Chara rolled their eyes.

"SANNSSS!" Papyrus yelled.

"Let us leave these unfunny skeletons." Chara said. The kids picked up their lamps and walked away, holding them in front of their faces. It looked like they were doing some kind of dance.

"SANS! WHY ARE THOSE LAMPS MOVING?!" Papyrus asked. The kids stopped.

"they're just doin' a dance," Sans said. "as all lamps do."

"OH." Papyrus replied, as if lamps 'dancing' was completely normal. Chara raised their brow. Frisk didn't look surprised. Faye was trying not to laugh. The lamps moved along, leaving the skeleton brothers behind. They followed the path surrounded by trees. The kids put the lamps down. There were two paths: one leading to an icy river and the other leading to a box. Frisk SAVED using Chara's SAVE file.

"Botheration," Chara grumbled, making a face. "We have to 'go along' with whatever that skeleton requires us to do? Unbelievable. He is immensely thick. Forgettable."

"Chara!" Frisk yelped. "Sans is gonna help us out! You're not being grateful!"

"I am not being grateful?" Chara asked spitefully. "Excuse you, I am being most grateful! You are the one who is being ungrateful, Frisk."

"Um… excuse me…" Faye spoke up quietly. Something looked suspicious about that box. It seemed to be… moving.

"I was always grateful!" Frisk rebuked. "I go along with whatever everyone wants me to do, including you! But this just isn't fair! This mission is not just about rescuing Asriel!"

"It is _everything_ about rescuing Asriel." Chara growled.

"Um…" Faye spoke up again. She really didn't like the look of that box.

"Don't get me wrong, I care about Asriel as well!" Frisk argued. "But he's not the only person who deserves your kindness, Chara!"

"That's because they hate me," Chara said, folding their arms. "Everyone but Asriel hates me!"

"No they don't!" Frisk said, raising their voice. Faye was tugging on their sleeve. Frisk stared at her.

"That box is moving." Faye said quietly. Chara and Frisk stared at the box. It looked like it was going to fall over.

"Oh, so it is," Chara said, raising their brow. "Odd. Come along." They followed the path, ignoring the box. Frisk and Faye, however, were approaching the box. "No! You fools! Ignore it!"

Frisk and Faye went up to the box anyway. Faye couldn't help it, the box scared her. She hid behind Frisk. Frisk took a deep breath. They reached out to the box, dramatic music playing in the background. Their hand was shivering. They'd never seen anything like this before. What if a monster was in there? A monster worse than Omega Flowey? Frisk couldn't bare to look. But then they got bored so they speedily opened up the box.

Inside was not a monster at all. It was a human. He was sitting in the box, rubbing his head with a pink, leather glove. He had pale skin, messy brown hair and flame-orange eyes. He was wearing a brown tank with orange stripes. A red bandanna was wrapped around his head. Abs had been drawn on it.

"Thanks!" the boy said. He jumped out of the box. "Are you guys humans as well?" Frisk and Faye nodded. Chara was looking over with interest.

"What were you doing in there?" Frisk asked.

"I, um…" the boy chuckled nervously. "I kinda got stuck…" Chara started laughing really hard. The boy glared at them. "HEY! IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

"I thought that skeleton was thick!" Chara laughed through tears. "How? How on Earth did you get stuck in a box? That's so blasphemous!"

"ARE YOU CALLIN' ME STUPID?!" the boy asked defensively, baring his teeth. He put his fist in his palm. "SAY IT RIGHT TO MY FACE!"

"Oh, gladly," Chara replied, brushing off their shoulder. "But if we were to fight, I would most certainly beat you."

"OH REALLY?!" the boy growled. "GET OVER HERE AND SHOW ME!"

"Alright, calm down," Frisk said, waving their hands. They glared at Chara. "Introductions, Chara?"

Chara sighed, looking smug. They walked over to the boy. They glared at each other for a moment. "Greetings," Chara forced a smile. "I am Chara. The First Human. These are my fr- accomplices, Frisk and Faye." The respective humans waved. "We're on a mission to SAVE my best friend, Asriel Dremmurr. We've come to this timeline as it may be our only hope to SAVE him. What's your name? What are you doing in the Underground?"

"I'm Brayden!" the boy answered. He briskly shook Chara's hand. "I jumped down Mt. Ebott!" He paused. "It's a long story. I'll tell you 'bout the underground." His bandanna blew back in the wind. He held his fist in front of him. "I went through the RUINS with this goat lady Toriel. She was… super nice. But then I had to go. So she let me leave. I went through the forest and found these two skeletons called Sand and Paper."

"Um, I think their names are Sans and Papyrus…" Faye said quietly. Chara laughed.

"SHUT UP!" Brayden yelled at Chara. He continued. "Sans told me Papyrus was human crazy, but I wasn't scared! I bravely went past those skeletons and came here. That's where I got stuck in that STUPID BOX!" He pointed at the box. He relaxed. "That's my tale of… um…" He tried to think of a word.

"Stupidity?" Chara suggested. Brayden growled. He wasn't liking Chara too much.

"I thought it was a nice story." Faye commented. Brayden grinned at her.

"Whatever," Chara sighed. "We've heard your story. You've heard ours. Let's go." They grabbed Faye and Frisk by the arms.

"HEY!" Brayden said. "I wanna go with you!"

"You can't." Chara responded slyly.

"You can!" Frisk responded brightly. Frisk and Chara glared at each other.

"We are not having another party member," Chara said spitefully. "Especially not this dofus."

"Come on Chara," Frisk argued. "It'll be fine. You don't have any regrets about bringing Faye, right? And it'd be kind of mean to walk off on this kid."

"Do you think I care?" Chara asked. "This is _my_ quest Frisk. You should be grateful I'm allowing _you_ to come along."

"Um…" Faye spoke up quietly. "We could have a vote or something…" She found she kind of liked this boy. He seemed nice.

"Brilliant idea!" Chara exclaimed. They smirked. "As quest leader, my vote counts as two. I vote we leave Brandon here."

"Brayden!" Brayden grumbled.

"Whatever." Chara said, rolling their eyes.

"How is that fair?" Frisk asked, folding their arms.

"Because I said so." Chara replied smugly.

Frisk sighed. "I vote he comes along." Everyone was staring at Faye. She looked flustered.

"I… um…" she laughed anxiously. "I don't mind…"

"That doesn't help." Frisk told her. Faye looked uncomfortable. Chara was giving her the stink eye. Brayden was grinning at her. They were both in some way intimidating her. Faye didn't know what to do. Frisk squeezed her hand again, giving her a grin of reassurance. For some reason, this made Brayden's eye twitch.

"I say he comes along." Faye said finally. Brayden and Frisk cheered. Chara made a face.

"We are in a stalemate, it seems," they said. They smirked. "But it does not matter. Because I am quest leader, I get the final say."

"Chara!" Frisk grumbled. Chara looked very proud of themself.

"HEY!" Brayden yelled. "I'M VOTING TOO!" He put his arm up. "I SAY I COME ALONG!"

"Three vs two Chara," Frisk smirked, a glint in their… closed eye. "He's coming with us."

"How is that fair!?" Chara asked, their smug superiority gone. "Bradley's vote shouldn't count!"

"BRAYDEN!" Brayden yelled.

"Whatever!" Chara exasperated. They went back to glaring at Frisk.

"It's fair because I said so." Frisk rebuked, putting on a pair of sunglasses. Chara groaned. They didn't think this journey through Snowdin could get any worse.

* * *

Of course it did.

"SANS!" Papyrus yelled at the top of his lungs. "ARE THOSE HUMANS?!" The quad were standing some distance away from the skeletons. Chara looked more agitated than ever. They _felt_ more agitated than ever. How long would they have to put up with that noisy skeleton? They observed their hand. _How long did they have?_

After figuring out the rocks weren't humans and vice versa, Papyrus went on about how he would become popular for capturing the humans and joining and the Royal Guard and whatever. Chara wasn't listening. They were seething inside. Papyrus was so annoyingly arrogant. They wanted to say something, but Frisk was giving them a death-stare. Brayden looked kind of bored as well. He didn't seem to like the sound of puzzles. Chara, for once, felt sympathetic for him.

"Your brother is insufferable," Chara complained to Sans after Papyrus finally shut up and left. "If we did not have a deal, I swear I-"

"That's quite enough Chara!" Frisk said cheerfully, leading Chara away from Sans. Frisk gave Chara a glare as soon as they were far away. "Chara, you have to be nicer."

"Why?" Chara asked angrily. "Do I look like the god of compliments?"

"You of all people should know your actions have consequences." Frisk replied dryly. Chara didn't say anything. Frisk was right, unfortunately.

"YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT!" Brayden yelled at a Snowdrake nearby a sentry station. "SHOW ME YOUR STUFF!" It was revealed he had an orange SOUL. He was holding his fist up, grinning broadly.

"Please don't hurt it…" Faye said quietly. She was watching him anxiously. She noticed his SOUL. "Oh, you've got an orange SOUL."

Chara said, "Branson, my accomplices-"

"BRAYDEN!" Brayden yelled, throwing his fists in the air.

"WHATEVER!" Chara yelled. "He has an orange SOUL, so his soul trait is bravery!" They groaned in exasperation.

"AWESOME!" Brayden cheered, punching the air. Frisk joined the battle. Chara stayed behind. They really couldn't bring themself to fight. A memory flashed in front of their eyes.

 _'Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera! This time, I got YOU! I left the cap on... ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for no reason! Hee hee hee!'_

 _'Asriel... do you remember... when we made pie?'_

 _'Oh, yeah, I remember...'_

Chara winced. They did not need to remember that now. It was so long ago. They shut their eyes, trying to prevent tears. It hurt more than a knife through the chest… oh, Asriel, why did they have to do this to you? It was their fault he died. They killed their only friend. What kind of human were they? Could they even call themself human?

"BOO!" Brayden yelled in their face. Chara screamed like a little girl and landed in Frisk's arms. Brayden fell over with laughter. Tears were streaming down his face. Chara growled.

"How on EARTH did you think that was funny, Brannen?!" they spat.

"IT'S BRRRAAAYYYDEEEN!" Brayden yelled, pulling his hair.

Chara growled. The pain was still there, throbbing like a sore. "You STUPID IDIOT. Why can you not leave me alone?!" They glared at Frisk. "Put me down you little brat!" Frisk did so, surprised by Chara's tone of voice. It sounded harsh, broken, upset.

"How do you think I felt when you laughed at me getting stuck in that stupid box?!" Brayden yelled.

"Why should I care!?" Chara yelled back. "You haven't lost your best friend! I bet you don't even have any friends, you pathetic imbecile! And I will be _surprised_ if you do!" They panted heavily, still trying to hold tears back.

"Chara!" Frisk exclaimed. Faye trembled. Brayden clenched his fists, a dark expression on his face. His lip was trembling.

"You…" he began. "YOU JERK! I'LL KILL YOU!" He tried to punch Chara. They dodged.

"You can't kill what's already dead." they said dryly. They stormed off, their head down. They couldn't face this. Not now. Not ever.

"HEY!" Brayden yelled. "GET BACK HERE!" Frisk and Faye held him back.

"They're just upset about something to do with Asriel, Brayden," Frisk told him. "It's nothing to do with you. They're just taking it out on you."

"THEY'RE A JERK!" Brayden yelled.

"I'll talk to them," Frisk said. They eyed Faye. "Stay here with Faye. She's nice. I'm pretty sure she likes you. Don't you?" Faye nodded. Frisk grinned. "See? It's gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay." Faye wondered if Frisk was convincing themself rather than everyone else.

"I still wanna beat the crap out of them." Brayden said, making a face.

"You shouldn't," Frisk called over their shoulder, chasing after their duplicate. "Violence isn't always the answer!" They searched for Chara. They found the child nearby Doggo's sentry station, sitting on the snow. They were looking at their hand and trembling.

"No," they mumbled. They sounded mortified, like someone had just threatened to kill them.

"Chara?" Frisk asked.

Chara yelped. They stood up and glared at Frisk. "Are you spying on me, Frisk?!"

"No!" Frisk said, folding their arms.

"Yes, you are," Chara said, looking away. "You cannot leave me alone for FIVE MINUTES."

"Chara." Frisk said sternly.

"You think that just because you're on a quest with me, you can get involved with all my problems." Chara ranted.

"Chara." Frisk repeated, raising their voice.

"Well, you can't!" Chara continued, ignoring Frisk. "You're just an impulsive, whiny, annoying, determined, lustful-"

"CHARA." Frisk demanded, glaring at Chara with their eyes open. Chara glared back.

"What?" they finally asked, crinkling their nose.

"I know you're upset, but that doesn't mean you can hurt people," Frisk growled.

"Oh says you," Chara said, taking a step towards Frisk. "You little hypocrite. You've murdered all your friends and family out of boredom. You MURDERED ASRIEL." They paused. "And you have the audacity to call _me_ out?"

"That wasn't me!" Frisk protested. They shook their head. "But that doesn't matter right now! What matters is you." They paused. Their eyes lit up like they had an idea. They sung, " _I know you're upset-_ "

"Sing and I will stab you right now." Chara threatened, giving Frisk a glare that could've melted the whole of Snowdin Forest.

"I was only being silly, Chara," Frisk said, folding their arms. "But seriously. I know you're upset, but you don't need to lash out at people. Brayden was just being silly. And he was annoyed at you because you've been a jerk to him the whole time he's known you."

Chara sighed. They stood up, clenching their fists. "I am not here to make friends with fallen humans. I'm here to save Asriel."

"That doesn't mean you should be mean to them," Frisk said, crossing their arms. "Would you abandon Faye right here right now?"

Chara hesitated. "I... I would do what I must." Their voice was shaky.

"You wouldn't," Frisk said. They put a hand on Chara's shoulder. "Be kind, Chara. Everyone is fighting their own battle. Including you. Asriel too."

"Don't touch me," Chara said softly. They gently brushed Frisk's hand off their shoulder. They wiped their face. "I will not change my ways for you." They held up a hand. "I will change my ways for Asriel." Frisk gave them a grin. Chara sighed, stopping Frisk from hugging them. "Also, one more thing." They were staring at Frisk's gloves. "May I borrow your gloves?"

"Sure," Frisk removed their little red gloves. "Why?"

"This snow is too cold," Chara lied. They bit their lip. "My hands cannot handle it."

"Yeesh." Frisk cringed. They handed Chara their gloves. Chara slipped them on. They immediately felt relief flowing through them. Frisk smirked. "Let's go!" They walked through the trees, back to the other two. Chara observed the gloves for a moment.

"Close," they mumbled, shaking out of fear rather than cold. "So close."


	4. Snowdin Forest

**A/N: Sorry if this is rushed and all, I just want to get the kids out of Snowdin. Also, if you've read the original, you'll know more about the suicide story, and I have something to say about that at the end. Only if you're interested of course.**

* * *

Faye didn't know what to do. Brayden was punching trees, looking really ticked off. Snow covered him, making him look like a living pile of snow. Faye had to admit it: she was a little scared. She wasn't used to people who yelled a lot.

Faye cautiously walked up to Brayden, who was shaking his head, getting some snow out of his hair.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"What do you want?!" Brayden asked angrily, folding his arms.

"I just wanted to say sorry," Faye replied. "T… Toriel asked me to look after Chara, but I couldn't stop them from being a jerk. So if you want to punch me…"

"I COULD PUNCH ANYTHING!" Brayden yelled. He made a face. "But I don't wanna punch you. I wanna punch that freaking wimp Chara!"

"But it's my fault…" Faye sighed. "So you should punch me instead…"

"But you're cute!" Brayden yelled. He realized what he said. He and Faye blushed. "Uh… I mean, for a girl! Eh… uh… I mean, my sisters would say you're cute, but, eh, uh…" He held his fist out. "EH! WHO CARES! JUST FORGET WHAT I SAID!"

"You have sisters?" Faye asked. She looked up. "That's nice… I wish I knew what it's like to have siblings…"

"My sisters are ANNOYING!" Brayden yelled. He looked down. "But… dang it… I kinda miss…" He trembled. "WHY DID I LISTEN TO HIM?!" He punched another tree, causing even more snow to fall on him. He yelled a bunch of bad words.

"... listen to him?" Faye asked. She helped Brayden climb out of the pile of snow.

"My dad," Brayden grumbled. "It's a long story, but there was this girl…" His voice cracked up. He growled. "No…! I'm not gonna cry! Real men don't…!" He paused. "So, I was with these bullies, and… they told me to pick on this girl who…" He clenched his fist. He was trembling even more.

"You don't have to tell me if it's too sad." Faye said quietly.

"NO!" Brayden yelled. "I'll tell it!" He paused again. "This girl… she… killed… she killed… herself…" He punched another tree. The snow didn't even bother him this time. "AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT! 'CAUSE OF THAT, I NEVER HAD ANY FRIENDS, I DITCHED THE BULLIES, AND EVERYONE HATED ME! ESPECIALLY MY DAD!" Brayden kept punching trees and getting covered in snow. "HE HATED ME MORE THAN ANYONE! HE TOLD ME TO CLIMB UP THIS MOUNTAIN!" He screamed and punched the snow. Faye hadn't seen someone so emotionally distraught for a long time. She took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do.

She sat down next to Brayden and gave him a gentle hug. He blushed in surprise. He wasn't really a fan of hugs. But this one was… different. He tightly hugged Faye back. For some reason, he kept feeling… all tingly and strange. He felt… different towards this girl than other people. He didn't understand these feelings.

"I see how it is." someone said dryly. It was Frisk, eyeing the two hugging. Brayden and Faye immediately backed away from each other and stood up. Frisk made a face. "I… I wanna be jealous… but you two look adorable!" They squealed like a fan-girl.

"This is not what I came back for." Chara groaned. Brayden frowned. They were back.

"You're wearing Frisk's gloves." Faye noticed, eyeing Chara.

"Yes," Chara said, sounding very dead inside. They stared at Brayden for a bit. They sighed. "I am an insensitive prick. Sometimes I wish I was not so. However. I'm not here to compliment you and say you were in the right. That is not my thing." They paused. "I'm here to say only one thing that I will not repeat…" They looked away, wrinkling their nose. "... sorry…." They looked back, a glint in their eye. "Brayden."

"HEY!" Brayden grinned. "YOU SAID MY NAME RIGHT!" He stood up and walked over to Chara. He gave them a noogie.

"Excuse me! That does not give you permission to touch me!" Chara yelped, jumping away. They fixed their hair.

"Hey," Brayden stared at them. "I'm sorry too. For scaring you. Frisk said you were, like, worried about your buddy Asriel or something?"

"A little more than worried," Chara mumbled. They nodded. "It's complicated. But for now, Braylin, I will allow you to be my accomplice."

"DID YOU GET MY NAME WRONG AGAIN?!" Brayden yelled. "OH COME ON! YOU GOT IT RIGHT BEFORE!"

"I am merely 'making a joke'," Chara said, raising their brow. "Satire is my type of humor." Brayden looked confused. "Nevermind."

* * *

The kids approached Doggo. It was a fight that involved not moving. Brayden wasn't too fond of that. Faye was quite fond of it. Frisk waved their stick in the air. Doggo chased after it, glee in his eyes. Brayden sighed in relief when the battle finished. Afterwards, the kids found Sans.

"oh, hey, it's you, kid," Sans chuckled, grinning at Brayden. "where'd you run off to?"

"He got stuck in a box." Chara answered, smirking.

"CHARA!" Brayden yelled.

"heh heh," Sans laughed. Brayden growled. "anyway, here's some advice for fighting my brother."

"Blue stop signs." Frisk said, folding their arms.

"you're good, kid," Sans said, raising his brow. "how'd you know that?" Frisk shrugged innocently. Chara rolled their eyes.

"Do you have any advice to make this quest quicker?" they asked Sans. "You said you would help us."

"yeah, i do," Sans replied. He pointed at Frisk. "ask them." Chara sighed.

* * *

After the kids skated on some ice and Brayden fell on his face, the kids found Sans, Papyrus and a puzzle. It looked like a patch of flat snow. Chara faced their fr- accomplices with a frown.

"Sans says we have to 'go along' with whatever his brother requires us to do," they explained. "So we have to deal with this minor disruption."

"But I like Papyrus…" Faye commented.

"I like Papyrus too." Frisk said sensually, wiggling their eyebrows.

"Well I don't!" Brayden grumbled, folding his arms.

"Ah, something we can agree on," Chara said, eyeing him. The kids eyed the skeleton brothers, who were arguing over something.

"OH-HO!" Papyrus exclaimed, eyeing the kids. "THE HUMANS ARRIVE! AND THE LITTLE BABY ORANGE ONE IS THERE TOO!"

"HEY!" Brayden yelled. "MY NAME IS BRAYDEN! AND I'M A MAN, NOT A BABY!" Chara snorted. Brayden glared at them.

"IN ORDER TO STOP YOU…" Papyrus continued. "MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING! FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE… ELECTRICITY MAZE!"

Faye laughed at the pun. She said, "You know, I bet it _hertz_." Everyone groaned.

"i like that kid." Sans said, eyeing Faye.

"ANYWAY!" Papyrus yelled. "WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE- HEY, MAN/WOMAN WITH THE STICK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Frisk was walking through the puzzle. They reached the end.

"WHY DO THEY GET TO BE A CALLED A MAN/WOMAN?!" Brayden exasperated.

"I HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED THE PUZZLE YET!" Papyrus exclaimed, eyeing Frisk. "HOW DID YOU SOLVE IT?!"

"Because I'm hardcore." Frisk answered. Chara sighed and shook their head.

* * *

The kids stopped by the Nice-Cream guy's van and bought some Nice Creams.

"No thank you," Chara declined Frisk offering them a Nice Cream. "I am not nice. I don't deserve a Nice Cream."

"Aw c'mon Chara." Frisk said encouragingly. Chara sighed and accepted a Nice Cream. They observed the packaging.

" _Love yourself! I love you!_ " it read. Chara laughed like it was a joke.

"Oh don't you worry, I do." they said. They ripped up the package and ate their ice-cream. Frisk tilted their head. Meanwhile, Brayden and Faye were doing the snowball golf game. Brayden was yelling at the snowball as it kept getting stuck on the corners. Faye tried to be a little more patient with it, gently pushing it around and figuring out how strongly she had to push it. They ended up putting the ball in the hole together. They blushed and stared at each other. Frisk kept making kissy faces. Brayden put his fist in his palm.

* * *

"HUMANS!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR…!" He paused.

"What?" Chara asked. They eyed the ground. Sitting on it was a puzzle. "A piece of paper on the ground?" Frisk hit their shoulder. "Oh, what are you going on about? You walked right through Papyrus' electricity maze."

"AND I HATE PUZZLES!" Brayden agreed. Sans was giving the kids the stink-eye. Chara sighed.

"Go on." they said, jerking their head at the skeletons.

"the puzzle's right there, on the ground," Sans said, winking. "trust me, there's no way they can get past this one."

"For goodness' sake, no one is going to waste their time with that," Chara said, glaring at the puzzle. "I suggest we all find a way to bypass these puzzles." Sans glared at Chara. Chara bit their lip.

"This puzzle doesn't look so bad…" Faye said, eyeing the puzzle. "I wonder what 'giasfclfebrehber' means."

"ONLY THE LIGHT BLUE HUMAN IS INTERESTED, SANS!" Papyrus exclaimed. "THIS IS USELESS!"

"whoops," Sans chuckled. "i knew i should have used today's crossword instead."

"WHAT?! CROSSWORD?!" Papyrus exclaimed like it was something disgusting. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! IN MY OPINION… JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST."

"what?" Sans asked incredulously. "really, dude? that easy-peasey word scramble? that's for baby bones."

"I am really losing my patience." Chara grumbled.

"This happens in basically every normal timeline, Chara." Frisk whispered.

"I know, but that does not mean I have to like it." Chara grumbled.

"UN. BELIEVABLE!" Papyrus exclaimed. "HUMANS! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!"

"Which is harder?" Chara asked. "Jumble or Crossword?"

"Why're you askin' that?" Brayden gave Chara a glance. "Also what the heck is 'junior jumble'?"

Chara sighed.

* * *

"SPAGHETTI!" Brayden exclaimed, running up to a table. A plate of frozen spaghetti was sitting on it, next to a microwave. He groaned. "IT'S FROZEN!"

"What a shame," Chara commented carelessly. They eyed the microwave. "It's not even plugged in."

"Well, it doesn't matter," Frisk replied. "The spaghetti isn't very good."

"BUT I'M HUNGRY!" Brayden complained.

"Trust me," Frisk repeated slowly. "It is not good." Brayden wondered how they knew that. Probably because they were hardcore.

* * *

"Aww, it's a puppy…" Faye cooed, eyeing the Lesser Dog in front of her. The dog panted. Frisk held up their stick. "Wait! I want to pet it." Faye scratched behind the dog's ears. The dog panted even more; its neck grew quite a length.

"She barely patted the dog," Chara said, shaking their head. They looked up at the dog. "Barely!"

"Dogs are weird." Brayden commented. Frisk went over to pat the dog as well.

"Frisk, no!" Chara yelped. Too late. The dog had already become like a giraffe. Chara face-palmed. Unfortunately for Chara, their dog troubles were not over. The kids were later attacked by Dogamy and Dogaressa, a dog wife and husband. Faye grinned.

"Aww, I love these puppies." she said brightly. Chara and Brayden held her (and Frisk) back, stopping them from petting the dogi.

"Their necks aren't gonna grow, are they?!" Brayden asked Chara.

"No, thank Asgore," Chara answered. They eyed Frisk. "But we do not need anymore dog trouble. Frisk, use your stick and show mercy. No funny business."

"You're boring, Chara." Frisk replied grumpily. They threw the stick. The dogi chased after it. Faye thought it was adorable. Chara and Brayden looked at each other with relief.

* * *

"Turn every X into an O," Chara read a sign. "Then press the switch."

"I've got it." Frisk said. They eyed a puzzle on the ground. Snow was surrounding an X and an O. A switch was above it. To the side was a wall of spikes.

"WHAT?!" Papyrus yelped, eyeing the children. "HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP?!"

"This dofus again." Chara groaned.

"AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY…" Papyrus continued. He brightened up. "IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME?!"

"Yeah, 'cause Frisk said it wasn't good!" Brayden yelled. "So you get the whole thing!"

"WHAT!" Papyrus exclaimed. Frisk was about to say something, but he interrupted them. "THAT MEANS… YOU MUST THINK… IT TASTES GREAT INSTEAD! WOWIE! WELL, FEAR NOT, HUMANS! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS, WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT! HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH NYEH!" He raced off, his scarf flowing behind him.

"Insufferable, that skeleton." Chara grimaced.

"Insuffywhat?" Brayden asked. He shook his head. "DO YOU EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH!?"

"Insufferable," Chara said, folding their arms. "It means you can't handle something."

"Oh, thank goodness you asked that, Brayden," Faye looked relieved. "I don't know what Chara is saying a lot of the time either."

"Then why don't _you_ ask me about it?" Chara asked Faye.

"I don't want to be rude..." Faye answered, looking down.

"Good grief." Chara face-palmed.

* * *

"HUMANS!" Papyrus exclaimed. The kids joined him beside another X's and O's puzzle. It was… somewhat shaped like his face. Papyrus frowned. "HMM… HOW DO I SAY THIS. YOU WERE TAKING A LONG TIME TO ARRIVE, SO I DECIDED TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE… BY ARRANGING THE SNOW TO LOOK MORE LIKE MY FACE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND. NOW THE SOLUTION IS DIFFERENT! AND, AS USUAL, MY LAZY BROTHER IS NOWHERE AROUND."

"Indeed." Chara grumbled.

"I SUPPOSE WHAT I AM SAYING IS…" Papyrus' scarf flew back in the wind (where are all these theatrical things coming from? Rose petals, random wind, George Michael songs…). "WORRY NOT, HUMANS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL SOLVE THIS CONUNDRUM! THEN WE CAN BOTH PROCEED! MEANWHILE, FEEL FREE TO SOLVE THIS PUZZLE YOURSELVES. I'LL TRY NOT TO GIVE AWAY THE ANSWER!"

"Do we have to?" Brayden whined.

"Nope," Frisk replied. They walked over to a tree and flipped a switch. The puzzle was solved.

"WOW!" Papyrus exclaimed. "YOU SOLVED IT! INCREDIBLE! I'M IMPRESSED! YOU MUST CARE ABOUT PUZZLES LIKE I DO! WELL, I'M SURE YOU'LL LOVE THE NEXT PUZZLE THEN! IT MIGHT EVEN BE TOO EASY FOR YOU! NYEH! HEH HEH! HEH HEH HEH!"

"You have no idea how much I care about puzzles," Chara mumbled. "You simply can't have an idea, because there is no idea. I don't care about puzzles."

"Do you _speak_ in puzzles?!" Brayden asked Chara.

"Do you have a brain in that bandanna-wrapped skull of yours?" Chara asked, folding their arms. Brayden growled.

"I think Chara and Brayden are becoming good friends." Faye told Frisk. Frisk nodded in agreement.

"You and Brayden look like… good friends too." Frisk said, smirking.

"Yeah, he's nice…" Faye commented dreamily. "I hope he likes me."

"Oh," Frisk smirked. "I'm sure he does."

* * *

"HEY!" Papyrus yelled. The kids were standing before what looked like a grey checkerboard. Sans and Papyrus were on the other side, next to the machine that powered the puzzle. "IT'S THE HUMANS! YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS PUZZLE! IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS! YOU SEE THESE TILES?! ONCE I THROW THIS SWITCH… THEY WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOUR! EACH COLOUR HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION! RED TILES ARE IMPASSABLE! YOU CANNOT WALK ON THEM! YELLOW TILES ARE ELECTRIC…"

Chara zoned out. They stared at the cringe-inducing red glove on their hand. They trembled. Would this really protect them forever? Asriel's face appeared in their head.

 _Yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter, but we accidentally put in buttercups instead._

 _Those flowers made him extremely unwell…_

 _Yeah! Those flowers made him so sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did…_

"Asriel…" Chara mumbled. The puzzle had gone red. Papyrus was gone. Chara shook their head. What happened? Brayden was laughing his butt off. Faye and Frisk were giggling. Chara didn't understand. Why was everyone suddenly laughing? What had they missed?

"Okay, even though I've seen that a million times, it's still hilarious." Frisk giggled. Chara looked dumbfounded. Frisk raised their brow. "Are you okay, Chara?"

"Don't talk to me." Chara grumbled. They walked across the puzzle, their head down. Brayden chased after them.

"Chara looks upset…" Faye said, making a face.

"Of course they do," Frisk replied dryly. "They're always upset."

* * *

"Who the heck made all these snow-dogs?" Brayden asked. He and Chara were observing a bunch of crafted snow-dogs with long necks. A sentry station and a reindeer monster were there as well.

"That Lesser Dog we saw before," Chara answered. "Such determination."

"I bet I could make an awesome snowman!" Brayden cheered.

"I'd like to see you try, with your lack of intelligence." Chara replied, kicking the snow. Brayden growled and started making a snowman. Chara made a face. "It seems the dog is not the only one with determination."

"I wanna make a snowman too." Faye said brightly. She frowned. "But I don't have any gloves."

"Hey, Chara, can I have my gloves back for a bit?" Frisk asked Chara.

"No!" Chara answered, suddenly panicking. "I… I need them to… make a snowman too!" They started making a snowman of their own. They hastily built its body, shoving the snow together.

"OH IT'S ON!" Brayden yelled at them. Chara made the snowman a little bigger, giving it a face and ears. It turned into what Chara hoped was a snow Asriel. They even gave it a smile. Asriel was always smiling. Chara laughed. They missed Asriel more than words could describe. Meanwhile, Brayden had attempted to make a snow-man, except very manly. He'd added biceps and everything. Supposedly. I mean, I don't know how you add biceps to a snowman.

"I think Chara's has more… emotion in it, so it's a better snowman," Frisk commented. They eyed Brayden. "Sorry, Brayden." Brayden stuck his tongue out at Chara. Chara rolled their eyes. They looked at Snow Asriel once more. They laughed again. If they didn't laugh, they'd cry. **[A/N: That's totally not my DeviantArt tagline or anything… ehhh.]**

* * *

After another X's and O's puzzle, the kids were faced with two paths.

"We're not going down that way," Chara said, eyeing the path below them. "We need to get to Snowdin."

"Aww…" Faye said, looking sad.

"I'll go there with you if you want, Faye." Frisk told her with a wink.

"That would be nice…" Faye sighed. Frisk squeezed her shoulder, giving her a sensual smile. For some reason, Brayden couldn't help but feel… jealous. He didn't like Frisk looking at Faye like that.

"Splitting up, are we?" Chara asked, frowning.

"You can go ahead, Chara," Frisk told them. They looked at Brayden. "What about you, Brayden?" They whispered into his ear, "Please go with Chara. I'm worried they'll walk off on us if we let them go alone." Brayden gritted his teeth. "Don't worry, I'm not going to steal Faye from you."

"HEY!" Brayden yelped. He tried not to blush. "Fine, I'll go with Chara."

* * *

"I honestly thought you wouldn't go with me," Chara told Brayden. They were staring at a snow-poff. A lot of snow-poffs actually. "You seem to enjoy being with Faye."

"Frisk said I had to make sure you didn't walk off on us and whatever." Brayden told them, folding his arms. He was blushing almost as much as Chara was. Thinking about Faye made him feel uncomfortable.

"Why would I ever do that?" Chara asked, laughing. They frowned and skipped past the snow-poffs.

"Are you and Frisk boys or girls?" Brayden asked them. "'Cause the whole time, we've been calling you 'they' and stuff. I thought those were for, like, groups."

"Frisk and myself don't have genders in this timeline," Chara told Brayden. "So we are definitely not male or female."

"Why?" Brayden asked. "I didn't know you couldn't have genders."

"We are the SOULS of the player," Chara answered. They sounded dramatic. "We represent the humans of the other world. We are not just two children. We are many. Hundreds of thousands. We are male. We are female. We are both and none. We are everything. We are LOVE. We are hate. We are the resets. We are the past. We are the future. We are… the player."

"What the heck does that all mean?" Brayden asked, scratching his head.

"Nevermind," Chara replied. They looked at a snow poff. "Surprisingly, it's a snow poff."

"You are weird." Brayden said, looking at Chara.

"And you aren't yelling for once," Chara replied. They smiled. "You should use the sound of silence more often, Brayden. It suits you." The kids approached a snow-poff on the path leading out of the area. In the snow poff was a little puppy.

"That's… so…" Brayden was trying not to make a kawaii face. "... cute!" The dog got about ten sizes bigger. It was wearing armour and all. "IT'S NOT CUTE ANYMORE!"

"You do not say!" Chara exclaimed. They stepped back, letting Brayden fight the dog alone.

"HEY!" Brayden looked at them. "WHERE YOU GOIN'?!"

"I cannot fight," Chara answered. They started laughing. "I'm sorry, I really can't. Just get the dog to come towards you and pet it. It's what Frisk and Faye would do if they were here."

"YOU WIMP!" Brayden yelled, gritting his teeth. Chara covered their face with their hair. Their eyes were hidden by a black shadow. Brayden faced the Greater Dog. His fists clenched. He sighed.

"C'mere, boy," Brayden said, waving his hands.

"Do not assume the dog's gender." Chara called from somewhere.

"SHUT UP WIMP!" Brayden yelled. The Greater Dog inched towards him. Brayden really didn't have anything to say. The dog waved a spear at him. It was blue, which meant Brayden couldn't move. Brayden groaned. He stayed still. A white spear approached him. This spear him hit in the chest. Brayden growled and covered his chest. Stupid spears. Why did they have to trick him?

Brayden patted the dog. It fell asleep in his lap. When suddenly it woke up! It was so excited. Chara was still watching, a frown on their face. A barking dog attacked Brayden. He did a surprisingly good job avoiding the barks. As weird as that sounds. Chara ran around and pulled Brayden out of the battle.

"Chara!" Brayden yelped.

"Enough of that," Chara grumbled. The dog whimpered as Chara dragged Brayden away. They let him go, just in front of a long bridge.

"You wimp." Brayden glared at Chara.

"Forgive me," Chara told him. "I could not stand it." Brayden punched their shoulder. Chara stared at him. Their nose crinkled. But they didn't look angry or resentful.

"Don't do that again, okay?!" Brayden told them.

"Oh, I will do it plenty more, don't you worry." Chara replied. "I will not fight any monster here. I cannot."

"Why not?!" Brayden asked accusingly.

"I just can't!" Chara answered. "I can't explain it, I just can't!" They took a deep breath. "Look, it's Faye and Frisk." Said two kids were walking over. They looked relatively happy.

"It's nice to see you two didn't kill each other!" Frisk said brightly. They put their hands on their hips. "Snowdin's not too far! Cool, right?"

"Cool as the ice." Faye grinned. Frisk laughed.

"Yes, nice to see you two didn't try to kill each other either." Chara grumbled.

* * *

"HUMANS!" Papyrus exclaimed. The humans were standing on the bridge, eyeing the skele-bros. "THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" A bunch of deadly weapons (and a little white dog) surrounded the bridge.

"It seems Papyrus can actually pose a threat." Chara admitted, raising their brow. Faye was clinging onto Brayden. Frisk looked bored.

"WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE!" Papyrus declared. "CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!" The kids stared at each other. "ARE YOU READY?! BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!"

But nothing happened.

"Hey, when's it starting?" Brayden asked.

"yeah, what's the holdup?" Sans asked.

"HOLDUP?! WHAT HOLDUP?!" Papyrus asked. "WHAT HOLDUP?! I'M… IM ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!" Still, nothing happened. Brayden snorted. Chara looked just as bored as Frisk.

"Well, if it takes time, I understand…" Faye said quietly.

"that, uh, doesn't look very activated." Sans told Papyrus.

"WELL!" Papyrus exclaimed. "THIS CHALLENGE!" He frowned. "IT SEEMS… MAYBE… TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMANS WITH! YEAH! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE. I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR! AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!" The weapons disappeared.

"The only time he actually poses a threat, and he immediately removes all danger," Chara commented. "Absolute classic. I have never met such a monster in my whole existence." Papyrus left after that. The kids walked across the bridge, finally able to access Snowdin.

"FINALLY!" Brayden yelled.

"Snowdin looks so pretty…" Faye admired, gazing at the small town ahead.

"I could not agree more," Chara said. They observed their hand. "Now let's hurry up and leave."

* * *

 **A/N: Hi everyone, so you may have read the original. You'll know there's a part with some suicide in it. I want to apologise about that as I feel it might offend some people :/ But I do understand feeling sucidal. I've been depressed most of my life and I've had some dark thoughts. I've never attempted suicide but I have committed self-harm before. A lot of my friends are also depressed, online and in real life.**

 **I'm not really someone to turn to for support. I don't think I'm much good at really supporting anybody :/ I realised this recently and I don't feel great about it. However, there is a ton of support and people you can talk to if you're feeling depressed. I'm just here to try to make you smile, because I'm better at that than anything. If you are feeling this way, let me know and I'll write you a story or draw you a picture. It's the least I can do.**

 **In the end, you don't have to be alone, even if you think you can do it yourself. Sometimes you do need help. Trust me, I know the feeling of being lonely extremely well. I know what it's like to feel like you're the only one. I do. I feel this way all the time. Even talking to other people who have Asperger's doesn't help. I'm different from them. So just try to help yourself. And if you can't? At least help others. This is all the advice I can give you.**

 **Happy New Year everyone :)**


	5. Integrity

**A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU CRAZY PEOPLE! 2018! *le gasp* The 21st century is officially an adult!**

 **I am going to die inside quite a lot next year, just like this year. Oh well. Happy reading as always bread slices! (Where did I even get that name from...?)**

* * *

Chara stormed through Snowdin, their head down. They were briskly walking. The others were following them.

"Chara!" Frisk yelped. "You don't need to go so fast!"

"I can't keep up…" Faye said, forcing herself to walk fast.

Brayden was actually overtaking Chara. "What're you guys talking about?! This is awesome!" He grinned. "Race you to the end of town!" He rushed off, leaving everyone behind.

"Yes! Copy his enthusiasm!" Chara agreed. They ran off, chasing Brayden.

"Frisk…" Faye tugged Frisk's sleeve. Frisk stared at her. "I think Chara is hiding something."

"Yes," Frisk agreed. Their face creased. "I think so too."

"I WIN!" Brayden cheered. He'd reached a snowy path leading out of Snowdin. He blew a raspberry at Chara.

"Just." Chara replied, smiling back. They decided Brayden wasn't so bad after all. He was loud, annoying and his name was surprisingly hard to remember… but he had spirit. And he didn't want to mess around like Frisk and Faye. If anything, he was even more ahead than Chara.

"Where are those slow-pokes?" Brayden asked, folding his arms.

"Coming now." Chara said. Frisk and Faye approached the two. Frisk was making a face.

"YOU GUYS ARE SO SLOWWW!" Brayden yelled.

"You guys are too fast." Frisk responded. Faye nodded.

"Too bad," Chara said. They turned away and followed the path. "Come along." The kids walked alongside Chara. Faye was eyeing the icy water flowing nearby them. She smiled. It sure was pretty. She eyed Chara. She bit her lip. They were definitely hiding something.

"HEY!" Brayden yelled. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!" The kids looked around. The area had become misty and unclear. A figure was ahead of them.

Chara groaned. "Papyrus."

"HUMANS," Papyrus spoke. "ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS."

"No," Chara stepped forward. They were finished with this. "Skeleton. Allow me to introduce myself." They cleared their throat. "Greetings. I am Chara. These are my ACCOMPLICES, Frisk, Faye and Brayden. We are on a mission to save my best friend. It's very important, so I recommend you get out of my way this instant."

"BUT I HAVEN'T FINISHED MONOLOGUING YET!" Papyrus yelled. "AND THEN I NEED TO FIGHT YOU!"

"Well, too bad," Chara grumbled. "Saving my best friend is more important than wasting time fighting a forgettable skeleton."

"Chara!" Frisk said, folding their arms.

"I know, and I don't care," Chara responded. They frowned. "I am finished with this stupid snowy cavern and these skeletons and their shenanigans. We are leaving right now."

"What's a shenanna… whatever you said?" Brayden asked, tilting his head.

"Who cares?!" Chara exasperated. "Let's go!" They stormed ahead. Papyrus stood in their way.

"HUMAN," he said. Chara growled and glared at him. "WHILST I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK FINDING YOUR BEST FRIEND, I AM AFRAID I CAN'T LET YOU LEAVE SNOWDIN WITHOUT ATTEMPTING TO FIGHT YOU FIRST!" A battle initiated. Chara didn't look very happy about it.

"We promised Sans," Frisk told Chara, patting their shoulder.

"Yeah!" Brayden agreed. He put his fist in his palm. "And I wanna kick some skeleton butt!"

Faye just smiled and shrugged at Chara. The first human massaged their temples. They eyed Papyrus once more. He was grinning, striking a fabulous pose.

"Papyrus," Chara recited. "He likes to say 'Nyeh heh heh'!" They smiled too. Out of anger of course.

"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus cackled.

"Hey, Papy," Frisk said sensually. "You really… tickle my funny bone." They winked. Papyrus blushed. The other kids eyed each other.

"W-WHAT?" he asked. "FLIRTING? THIS MEANS I HAVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU…"

"Uh, no, you don't," Chara strolled forward. "We need to leave. Get your attacks out of the way. Do your worst if you must. As long as it's done pronto!"

"MY WORST?" Papyrus asked. He tapped his fingers together. "WELL! DON'T WORRY, CRANKY HUMAN! I CAN DO THAT! BEHOLD! THE BLUE ATTACK!" The kids' souls were brought to the ground with a crash. It was much harder to move around.

"Why did you say that, Chara?!" Brayden asked, glaring at Chara.

"And where's the blue part?" Faye added. Chara looked away, clenching their fists. They observed their arms. They gulped. They wondered if someone had a jacket.

"Hey!" Frisk yelled. Bones were coming towards them. Chara's heart froze in fear. They couldn't afford to get hit. As soon as they did, they would…

Chara ran away, panting heavily. Their blood pounded in their ears. Their arms felt limp. It felt like they were going to shatter into a million pieces. _They couldn't do this._ Frisk, meanwhile, was jumping up and down, avoiding every bone. They were a natural. Or it was due to how many times Frisk had fought Papyrus.

"THAT ALL YOU GOT?!" Brayden challenged, shaking his fist. He was hit on the head by a bone. He fell over, yelling a lot of curse words. Faye gave him a bandaid.

"Are you okay, Chara?" Frisk approached Chara, sounding concerned. Chara was on the ground, panting.

"I have to go," they breathed. "Frisk… please… you have to understand. I can't fight. I can't do anything. This battle has to end."

"... but why?" Frisk asked, tilting their head. Chara panted even more.

"I can't explain," they replied. They stuck their hands deep into their pockets, their hair covering their face. Frisk simply stared.

"Alright, Chara," Frisk replied. "I'll do what I can." They walked back over to the others.

"... and you put it on like that." Faye said, putting a bandaid on Brayden's cheek. He grinned and pulled her into a head-lock.

"YOU'RE THE BEST!" he yelled. She blushed. Frisk was watching them with their brow raised. They smirked. This smirk faded quickly, however, as they approached Papyrus.

"Papyrus," Frisk spoke up. The skeleton stared at them. "Chara is feeling… unwell. We really need to stop now."

"WHAT!" Brayden yelled and stood up. "BUT I HAVE TO BEAT THAT SKELETON UP FOR THROWING A BONE AT MY HEAD!" He waved his fist in the air. Faye stood behind him, almost touching him. She saw Chara on the ground. She walked over to them and sat down. The two started talking about something.

"WELL, YOUR FRIEND DOES SEEM UNWELL…" Papyrus looked thoughtful. He frowned. "BUT HOW WILL I JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD IF I DON'T CATCH ANY HUMANS?"

"You don't have to capture us to join the guard," Frisk replied, making their voice sound incredibly convincing. "We just want to be your friends! And there are other ways to join the guard."

"FRIENDS…?" Papyrus asked. He looked thoughtful again.

"Yes," Frisk grinned sweetly. " _Friends_." Brayden groaned. He stood next to Frisk and gave them the stink-eye.

"Well, you can wear Sans' jacket if you ask him nicely…" Faye told Chara. She offered them a bandaid. "And you can have one of those."

"Thank you." Chara accepted the bandaid. Their hand shivered.

"Chara…" Faye looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Chara answered. They put on a big smile. Faye frowned, but she didn't say anymore.

"BUT I DON'T GET IT! HOW CAN I JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD IF I DON'T CAPTURE YOU?" Papyrus asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, how?!" Brayden asked, growling at Frisk.

"Well," Frisk replied merrily. They grinned. "You can tell Undyne you just _found_ some humans. She'll let you join the Royal Guard for sure!"

"REALLY?" Papyrus asked. Frisk nodded, giving Papyrus a thumbs up. They were surprisingly convincing. Papyrus gasped. "WOWIE! IN THAT CASE…" He moved out of the way. "YOU ARE FREE TO GO!"

"Thank you." Frisk replied, sounding as sweet as sugar. They wrapped their arms around Brayden, stopping him from attacking the skeleton.

"We're leaving?" Faye asked. She helped Chara stand up. The First human still looked afraid. They were clinging onto Faye's shirt. She didn't seem to mind.

"Yes," Frisk said. They eyed Chara, biting their lip. That child was strange. "Chara?"

"The heck is wrong with you?" Brayden asked. He'd relaxed a little, so Frisk let him go.

"I'm fine," Chara said. They let go of Faye's shirt. They smiled. "I've had enough of Snowdin. Let us leave, hmm?"

* * *

"GOODBYE, HUMANS!" Papyrus waved at the leaving humans. "GOOD LUCK TRYING TO FIND YOUR FRIEND!" Faye waved back.

"Call me, baby!" Frisk yelled sensually, winking at Papyrus. Chara face-palmed. Brayden put his fist in his palm, glaring at the skeleton. Chara kept their head down. They just wanted to go. They focused on the ground. Finally, they were leaving the cold behind. The ground turned blue. So did everywhere else. The sound of rushing water passed the children. Waterfall.

"It's so pretty here…" Faye sighed, looking around.

"Hey, Chara," Frisk walked up to Chara. "Can I have my gloves back? We're out of Snowdin."

"No!" Chara yelled. They paused. "I mean… you cannot. I am… allergic to Echo Flowers. I need to wear them to protect myself."

"... alright." Frisk replied, raising their brow.

"Also, is that skeleton Sans around?" Chara asked. They rubbed their arms. "I need his jacket."

"He's right there." Frisk pointed at Sans, sitting behind a sentry station. Beside him was a monster, an echo flower, and Monster Kid - a young monster, similar to a dinosaur, who was wearing a striped shirt.

"Why do you need his jacket?" Brayden asked Chara. "It's not cold here."

"I am severely allergic to Echo Flowers," Chara answered, biting their lip. "I'm trying to protect myself."

"What the heck are Echo Flowers?" Brayden asked, making a face.

"This is an echo flower," the monster standing beside the echo flower explained. "It repeats messages it's heard."

"Ohhh," Brayden said. He yelled at the flower, "HEYO!"

"HEYO!" the flower yelled back. Brayden laughed. Meanwhile, the others were speaking to Sans. The skeleton was giving Chara a funny glance.

"you want my jacket?" Sans commented, eying Chara. "this allergy must be pretty serious."

"Yes, it is," Chara replied. They held out their hand. "Jacket, please."

"hold on buddy," Sans wagged his finger. "do you really deserve this jacket after how you treated my brother?"

"For goodness' sake," Chara growled. "I will have you know-"

"That we really appreciate your help!" Frisk interrupted brightly. Chara bared their teeth. "But we're on a mission, so we HAVE to rush." Frisk said this spitefully. "Chara doesn't mean to be rude. So please, can we borrow that jacket?"

"welp, im glad some kids are nice," Sans replied. He removed his jacket and handed it to Chara. "here you go, kid." He smirked. "hey, would you all like to come with me for a meal at grillby's?"

"Absolutely not," Chara responded, slipping the jacket on. They looked comfy. The white fur tickled their neck. They grabbed Faye and Brayden. "We're leaving now." Sans shook his head in disbelief.

"WHOO!" Brayden ran ahead. Chara chased after him, Faye and Frisk following. The kids approached a waterfall. Rocks were flowing down the cool, blue water. Faye smiled. She loved Waterfall so far. Then she realized… she could hear something…

"Hey, do you guys hear something?" she asked. Something was behind that rushing water.

"Yep!" Brayden responded. He burped immaturely, then burst out laughing. Frisk sniggered. Chara rolled their eyes, sinking their nose into the white fluff surrounding their neck.

"Not that," Faye giggled. "Something else." Frisk perked up. They could hear… singing. Their brow raised.

"Singing!" they chirped. They looked at the Waterfall. "In there!" They walked over to the Waterfall. Faye was behind them.

"Ugh." Chara sighed. They joined the others. Brayden came as well, still laughing. Behind the Waterfall was a little room. Crystals were in the walls. A girl was in there, doing some ballet. She was singing to herself.

"Hey," Frisk greeted.

"Oh!" the girl shrieked, jumping. She brushed off her shirt. "I didn't see you there." She had dark skin, dark hair, and piercing blue eyes. She was wearing a striped, sleeveless shirt. The stripes were dark blue while the main colour was aqua. She was wearing a pink, frilly tutu, covering light blue tights. On her feet were ballet slippers.

"Oh, really," Frisk replied sensually. "I thought I was the bomb." Chara rolled their eyes.

"Who the heck are you?" Brayden asked, staring at the girl.

"I like your tutu." Faye added.

The girl smiled. "Thank you. I'm Melody Trust. I didn't know there were other humans down here. Who are you all?"

"Greetings," Chara stepped forward. "I am Chara. These are my accomplices, Faye, Frisk and Brayden. We are on a mission to SAVE my best friend, Asriel Dreemur. This is the only timeline he can be successfully saved without the sacrifice of another. At least in my book. What are you doing down here?"

"Well…" Melody frowned and looked away. "I climbed up this mountain after my family… well, they don't love me anymore. Down here, I met a lot of monsters… including this scary one called Undyne who tried to hunt me."

"Oh, Undyne," Frisk grinned. "She's awesome."

"Really?" Melody didn't look like she believed Frisk.

"Undyne is actually quite a monster," Chara admitted. They smiled. "I've always been a fan of her, seeing her in multiple timelines. She's a true hero."

"She doesn't seem very heroic to me," Melody replied, folding her arms. "More… angry."

"She has good reason," Chara informed her. They smiled sickly. "But I'd understand why you'd think she was merely 'angry'. Humans never understand." Melody raised her brow.

"Is Undyne gonna hunt us too?" Brayden asked. He flexed. "SHE WON'T BE READY TO MEET THESE MASSIVE BABIES!" He pointed at his 'massive' biceps.

"... am I supposed to be seeing something?" Melody asked, observing Brayden's arm. Brayden frowned. Chara burst out laughing. Even Frisk giggled. Faye just looked awkward.

"CHARA SHUT UP!" Brayden yelled, glaring at Chara. Melody gasped.

"Brayden… that's your name, right?" she asked.

"YES!" Brayden yelled. "AND GET IT RIGHT!"

"Well, I have to say…" Melody wrinkled her nose. "I can't believe you said 'shut up', Brayden! That's a bad word."

"She's correct." Chara agreed.

"You say shut up all the time!" Brayden yelled, glaring at Chara.

"Accidentally," Chara replied innocently. They crossed their arms. "Anyway. Enough procrastinating. We have places to be. Goodbye, Melody. It was… somewhat nice to meet you."

"Wait. Are you the leader of this mission?" Melody asked Chara, raising her brow.

"Yes." Chara responded.

"Since when?" Brayden growled. Chara ignored him.

"You are a terrible leader," Melody replied. Chara narrowed their eyes. "It's the truth! You're so uncouth. How is anyone able to stand you?"

"OH SHUT DOWN LIKE A LAPTOP!" Brayden yelled, waving his fist in the air. **[A/N: That's an actual thing I've said in real life, forgive me XD]** Chara glared at him with every ounce of hate in their being. They gave Melody the same expression.

"You do not understand this mission," they replied. "I am not trying to be a good leader. There is only one thing I have in mind: my best friend."

"Yes," Melody nodded. "That's why I'll be coming with you. While you focus on your best friend, I will lead the team. They need someone who knows how to do the right thing."

"You are not coming with us," Chara growled. "I will not allow it."

"I'm afraid I have to ignore you," Melody responded. "You aren't doing the right thing. Thankfully, I am. I'm joining your little mission, even if upsets you. Sorry, that's how the world works, Chara. Things you don't like sometimes have to happen!"

Chara clenched their fists. "Then come along, you little brat. See how much good you do us."

"You can start by being less rude," Melody said, folding her arms. "Keep quiet for a while." Chara frowned. She was even worse than Brayden. This was going to be an actual hell.

* * *

The five kids walked into an area that covered their bodies with shadows. Chara was keeping their head down, sinking their nose into their furry collar. They eyed the sea grass ahead. It was long and thin, and it would shield them from any outsiders. The area also had quite a lot of stalagmites and stalactites. Go read the main fic for more information on such things.

Melody kept an eye on Chara. That child was bitter and impulsive. They didn't seem to want any guidance. Melody sighed. That's why she was here. She would keep an eye on them.

Faye saw some silhouettes standing by the stalagmites and stalactites. One of them looked like Papyrus. The other was an armoured figure. She assumed that was Undyne. Chara had described her as a hero. Yet, the way Chara saw things was not always how everyone else saw things.

"Hey!" Brayden yelled at the figures.

"Shh," Frisk put a finger to their lips. "You don't want to fight Undyne just yet, Brayden. We'll just watch for now."

"Boring!" Brayden whined. Frisk pulled him into the sea grass. The others joined them. Melody glared at Undyne. She really didn't like that monster. She was both rude and dangerous, much like Chara. Melody could see why Chara considered Undyne a 'hero'.

"H-HI, UNDYNE!" Papyrus squeaked. Melody made a face. She wasn't the biggest fan of that skeleton, from what she'd heard. She had thankfully managed to bypass even meeting him after fighting his brother. She was pretty sure Papyrus didn't even know she existed.

"Ugh," Chara groaned. "Will we ever escape that blasphemous idiot?"

"Blaspha what?" Brayden asked.

"Shhh!" Frisk whispered.

"I'M HERE TO JOIN THE GUARD!" Papyrus squeaked. "I FOUND SOME HUMANS! THAT MEANS I CAN JOIN, RIGHT?!" Undyne said something. Papyrus froze. "WHAT…? BUT THEY SAID…"

Chara lost track of what Papyrus said. Asriel's memory appeared their head. Their heart pounded with pain. They glared at their sleeve.

 _"Uh, anyway, where are you going with this?"_

 _"Asriel… the flowers… that's it!"_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"... Turn off the camera."_

 _"Turn off the camera…? OK."_

When Chara woke up, a spear was directly in front of them. Undyne was holding it there. Chara was somewhere between screaming and fangirling.

"YOU WANNA GO?!" Brayden challenged, shaking his fist at Undyne. She walked away, giving Chara a chance to breathe.

"... Chara?" Frisk asked.

"Undyne," Chara sighed. "A true hero to monsters." They glared at the others. "Quit your staring. There's nothing to gain from it."

"Don't be rude, Chara." Melody said, folding her arms.

"Right," Chara laughed. "You know I won't."


	6. On the hunt

" _When four bridge seeds align in the water, they will sprout._ " Faye read a sign on the wall. There was another waterfall in front of her and her friends, blocking their way. Beside them were some flowers - the bridge seeds.

"Is this a puzzle?" Brayden groaned.

"I'm afraid so." Chara sighed, folding their arms.

"Thankfully, I know the solution!" Frisk chirped brightly. They put a bridge seen on their head and dumped it in a lake nearby. It floated up to the top of the lake, where the path to continue was.

"How do you know how to do that?" Melody asked, raising her brow.

"I have my ways, baby." Frisk replied sensually, winking at her.

"Please refrain from flirting with everyone we encounter." Chara grumbled. Frisk suddenly countered Aaron - a muscular seahorse. A literal sea horse. Frisk wiggled their eyebrows and blew a kiss at him. Chara groaned.

"What is that thing?" Melody asked, looking at Aaron with disgust. Aaron flexed.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN FLEX BETTER THAN ME?!" Brayden challenged. He flexed as well.

"A flexing contest? Okay, flex more ;)" Aaron smirked. Melody cringed. Chara rolled their eyes. Faye really had nothing to say on this matter.

"That was terrible," Chara complained when the battle was over. Brayden and Frisk were covered in sweat. The kids walked over the bridge seeds, which were floating on some water. They arrived on the other side. "It can't get much worse than that."

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!" Papyrus' voice boomed from a cell phone. Frisk held up said phone with a shrug.

"I really dislike the current status." Chara grumbled, folding their arms.

"How did he call us?" Faye asked. "We didn't give him our number…"

"Is this about Undyne?!" Brayden growled. He put his fist in his palm. "I SWEAR I'M GONNA-"

"Let him talk." Melody said, folding her arms.

"I DON'T RECOGNIZE THAT VOICE!" Papyrus sounded confused. "WHO IS THIS?"

"I'm Melody Trust," Melody answered. "I'm quest leader." Chara frowned. "You are Papyrus, yes?"

"THAT'S ME!" Papyrus cheered. "WELL, SINCE YOU'RE PART OF THE QUEST NOW… I CAN ASK YOU THIS AS WELL!"

"Wait," Chara held up a hand. "How did you get our number?"

("That's what I asked..." Faye mumbled.)

"HOW DID I GET THIS NUMBER…?" Papyrus paused. He sounded inquisitive. "IT WAS EASY! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

"Remind me to block his number," Chara mumbled to Faye.

"So, why're you callin', baby?" Frisk asked sensually. "Wanna talk to me?"

"I'M, UM, JUST CALLING TO ASK…" Papyrus sounded… worried. "WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? I'M… ASKING FOR A FRIEND. SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU HUMNAS WEARING A FADED RIBBON, A MANLY BANDANNA, A DUSTY TUTU, AN OLD BANDAGE AND A HEART-SHAPED LOCKET. IS THIS TRUE?"

"HEY! YOU'RE RATTING US OUT TO UNDYNE!" Brayden yelled with realization.

"Hang up." Chara told Frisk, folding their arms.

"As quest leader, I'm also telling you to hang up," Melody agreed.

"Yes, we're wearing those." Frisk told Papyrus. Melody, Brayden and Chara glared at them. Faye didn't say anything.

"SO YOU ARE…" Papyrus replied. "GOT IT! WINK WINK! HAVE A NICE DAY!" He hung up. The kids started on Frisk.

"Frisk! I can't believe you!" Melody exclaimed. "He was giving us away to Undyne, and you-"

"Papyrus is my friend," Frisk interrupted quietly but darkly. They were avoiding eye contact. "I won't be mean to him, unlike you all. You just don't understand." They put the phone away.

"I like Papyrus…" Faye spoke up.

"I know," Frisk said. Memories of genocide flashed through their head. Papyrus' head was on the snow, grinning at them. It slowly turned to dust. Frisk trembled. They didn't need to see that right now. Or ever.

* * *

After passing the wishing room and encountering Woshua (Chara got slightly emotional - about the wishing room that is, not about Woshua), the kids discovered a bunch of ancient signs about the history of the war. They were standing on a bridge, surrounded by dark water and glowing plants.

"I could stay here forever..." Faye sighed.

"The War of Humans and Monsters." Melody observed one of the signs on the wall.

"BORING!" Brayden whined. "Who wants to read that?! We know humans made monsters go underground, 'cause monsters are evil and stuff!"

"Excuse me?" Chara asked, glaring at him. "I will have you know that monsters are far from evil. It is the humans that are evil. They were merely scared of power the monsters would never use. Humans are unbelievably strong! They had nothing to fear."

"How do you know that?" Melody asked incredulously. "Monsters could've been very dangerous."

" _I know because they were my family!_ " Chara responded bitterly. "You never understand anything! You are all insufferable!" They stormed off, covering their face with Sans' jacket.

"What is wrong with them?" Melody asked, tilting her head.

"They're just upset about some things," Frisk replied brightly. "Don't worry, they'll be better soon. For now, I'll tell you about monster history. I know it off the top of my head!" They sounded so bright and cheerful compared to Chara. Melody was confused. She'd never met such polar opposites in her life. Where had Chara gone, anyway?

"Tell me later," Melody replied. "I'm going to find Chara." Melody sometimes wasn't the best at comforting people. She could be too honest and blunt. She could make them even more upset. But right now, she knew Chara needed some sense talked into them.

"No, really, Chara's fine!" Frisk laughed nervously. "They'll sort themself out. Just-"

"As quest leader, it's my job to look after everyone," Melody replied assertively. "So I'm going to have to ignore you." She walked off, not paying attention to Frisk calling her name. Brayden and Faye sort of stared at her. She searched for Chara, briefly glancing at the plants in the water. Chara was sitting at the end of the bridge, looking distracted.

"Asriel…" they mumbled. They were gazing at their torso, fear in their voice. "It's going to be okay. You're going to be free."

"Chara…?" Melody asked, approaching them.

"Leave me be!" Chara shouted, standing up. They climbed onto a platform and slipped away across the dark water.

"Chara!" Melody shouted, reaching out. "I don't want to accuse you, I just want to talk!" Chara wasn't responding. Melody groaned. The platform returned. Melody jumped onto it, and walked it across to the bridge on the other side. Ahead was another long bridge and pillars on the side. Melody made a face. She didn't like this.

Melody saw Chara ahead. They were covered in shadows.

"Chara!" Melody yelped. She heard something heavy approaching. It was Undyne, holding up a blue spear. Chara seemed oblivious to it. "Chara, you have to move!"

"Why are you still following me?" Chara asked angrily. They noticed Undyne with the spear. Their eyes widened. "My hero."

"Chara!" Melody yelled. Undyne threw the spear. Melody grabbed Chara and pulled them out of the way. Chara was trembling. Undyne had more spears ready. They were hovering nearby her head.

"It is very unlike me to ever ask this of someone," Chara grumbled. They were clinging onto Melody. "But… I need you to protect me. If I get hit I will..." They couldn't bring themself to speak. They just shut their eyes and quivered even more.

"Say please." Melody told them, raising her brow.

Chara made a face. "Very well. May you _please_ protect me?"

Melody sighed. "Of course I will, Chara." But it was hard enough to protect herself. The bridge was bendy and Melody wasn't great at dodging these spears. But she had a mission. She grabbed Chara's arm and ran. A spear impaled her shoulder. She yelped in pain. It felt like her arm was on fire. Blood was soaking her clothing. Chara looked down in guilt. Melody made a face. She couldn't stop now.

The two reached a bend. Melody was slowly losing HP. More spears were flying towards them. They were gradually getting faster. Melody felt a spear land in her leg. She screamed in agony and fell over. It was impossible to run. Chara stared at her, shadows covering their eyes. They made a face of dismay. They were holding back tears.

"Chara!" Frisk yelled. Brayden and Faye were behind them. They were at the start of the bridge.

"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!" Brayden yelled. "IS MELODY SLEEPING OR SOMETHING?!"

"FRISK!" Chara avoided a spear. "GO BACK!"

"No!" Frisk responded.

"I think they mean reload your SAVE file." Faye whispered to Frisk.

Frisk raised their brow. "How do you know about-"

"FRISK!" Chara yelled. Frisk frowned. They sighed.

"Let's go back." they said.

* * *

The kids appeared in the room after first witnessing Undyne and Papyrus speak. Melody was okay. Everyone was okay. Frisk sighed in relief. They wouldn't be able to handle it if their friends were hurt. Even ones they'd just met.

"What the heck?!" Brayden asked, looking insanely confused.

"The power to SAVE and reload," Chara explained, eyeing him. "If something goes wrong… Frisk can reload." They stared at Melody. Their expression was indescribable. They looked away again.

"Since when could you do that?" Brayden asked Frisk. They smiled.

"Since I first fell down." they replied.

* * *

After passing Undyne as a group (Frisk knew all the tricks and hints, so it was much easier), the kids found Sans and a telescope. Sans and Faye traded bad puns. The other kids bought some Nice Creams.

Afterwards, the kids explored one of the prettiest sections of the Underground. It was a glowing aquatic area full of plants and monsters. Melody hugged herself. She couldn't believe what had happened. The pain, even though it was gone, still sent chills down her spine. Undyne scared her. Melody had to admit it. Chara, despite everything, still admired the monster. Melody realized Chara must truly respect Undyne. Chara wasn't talking to Melody, however. Whenever they looked at her, they couldn't make eye-contact.

Melody sighed. She wondered how bad Chara felt. Probably more than she could know.

"So?" an echo flower asked. "Don't you have any wishes to make?"

"... hmm, just one, but…" another flower sounded hesitant. "It's kind of stupid." The voice sounded familiar from somewhere. Melody frowned. But from who?

"Do you know who's talking there?" Melody asked Frisk.

"No." Frisk responded. They eyed Brayden, who was currently flexing with Aaron. They joined him. Melody eyed their SOULs for a bit.

"So… have we all got different coloured SOULS?" she asked Faye and Chara.

"Yes," Chara responded, not looking at her. "Your SOUL is dark blue, which means you are a soul of Integrity."

"What does that mean? Integrity?" Melody asked. She'd heard that word before. Her dad had mentioned it.

"Righteousness, honesty, honour, and so forth." Chara responded. "That's you, is it not?"

"Yes," Melody smiled. "I think it is."

* * *

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!" Papyrus' voice rang from the phone again. Chara groaned. "REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT CLOTHES? WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW… HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY…" Papyrus paused.

"Murdery?" Frisk suggested.

"THAT'S IT!" Papyrus agreed. "AND I BET YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY!"

"Oh, we do indeed." Chara mumbled.

"SHE'S A DOUCHE!" Brayden yelled.

"Not what I meant." Chara grumbled.

"AND BECAUSE YOU KNEW THAT…" Papyrus continued. "I TOLD HER WHAT YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE WEARING! A FADED RIBBON, A MANLY BANDANNA, A DUSTY TUTU, AN OLD BANDAGE AND A HEART-SHAPED LOCKET! BECAUSE I KNEW, OF COURSE… AFTER SUCH A SUSPICIOUS QUESTION… YOU WOULD ALL OBVIOUSLY CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! YOU'RE SUCH SMART COOKIES! THIS WAY YOU'RE SAFE AND I DIDN'T LIE! NO BETRAYAL ANYWHERE! BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS EASY!" He hung up.

"Every single word out of that idiot's mouth was a disgusting lie." Chara growled.

"Chara, come on," Frisk said, crossing their arms. "You don't hate Papyrus that much."

"Yes, I do," Chara replied. They looked at the others. "Don't you agree?"

"HE'S ANNOYING, BUT HE'S, UM…" Brayden begun. He paused. "He's annoying, yeah, but he's like, kind of nice too."

"I'd say innocently annoying." Melody added.

"He's really nice." Faye said, grinning.

"You know how I feel, Chara." Frisk said sensually, wiggling their brow. Chara groaned.

"He is arrogant," they complained. They frowned, mumbling, "Arrogance is something I envy. Why? Because I don't even have a lick of self-confidence. And he has it all." They stared at their hand. "Spare me this pain."

* * *

 _"Don't say that! I promise I won't laugh."_

 _"The power to take their souls. This is the power that the humans feared."_

These words floated through Faye's head. She liked to spend a lot of time thinking about things. It was a relaxing habit of hers (even though she had a lot of relaxing habits). But sometimes she didn't think about the happiest things. Right now, she felt that way. She felt… confused above all. Her thoughts were distracted when the kids encountered Shyren.

Frisk hummed a tune. Melody joined in, singing her heart out. Shyren joined in as well, notes floating everywhere. Monsters came from all over the place, watching the show. Sans was selling tickets made out of toilet paper. Everyone was cheering and clapping along. Chara watched the whole thing emotionlessly. Faye stood next to Brayden, who was quietly humming along. He saw Faye staring at him and immediately stopped.

"I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING!" he yelled.

"Not saying," Faye replied with a smirk. "Humming."

"No I wasn't'!" Brayden grumbled.

"Liar." Chara replied. Brayden glared at them. Faye smiled at him.

"It was nice," she told him. "You sounded happy." Brayden blushed. Chara sighed and shook their head. They focused on Melody and Frisk dancing away. Melody was caught in the moment. She loved music more than anything. It was her only escape from this cruel world…

Frisk enjoyed performing and acting very much. They were simply a natural. They danced along with Melody, trying to enjoy themself. They didn't enjoy resetting. But they hated people dying even more. They smiled at Melody as she swirled around. It was nice to perform with someone else for once, rather than act out their feelings all alone.

After the concert, the kids continued. They stumbled across a statue, sitting in some light. Rain was pouring on it. Chara paused. There was a lump in their throat.

"Hold on." Frisk said. They disappeared for a bit. Melody walked over to Chara.

"Hey," she said. "Are you-"

"I am very well." they replied before she could ask. Their head was down.

"You know, I forgive you about the whole… spear thing," Melody told them. "It would be wrong of me to hold a grudge. But I still think you should say sorry."

"Of course," Chara smiled sadly. "I am very sorry." Their voice cracked. "Another person got hurt because of me. Is an apology ever enough to fix what I've inflicted?"

"What does that mean?" Melody asked. Frisk returned with an umbrella over their head. They placed it atop the statue. Inside, a music box began to play. It was an emotional melody. **[A/N: Wink wink XD]**

"Oh, that's so sad…" Faye said, bowing her head.

"I'M… I'M NOT CRYING!" Brayden yelled, looking flustered. He shook his head. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S CRYING!"

"I don't cry." Chara mumbled. They stiffened up. Emotions were flowing through them, making them feel weak. They hated this. They hated this so much. They stormed off, hiding their face. They returned to the room where Shyren had performed.

"Chara," Melody held out her hand. She'd followed them. "If you feel lonely, then… you're not alone, actually, because I know what it's like to be alone. I've always been alone."

"Do you understand heartache?" Chara asked shakily. "That is more than being merely lonely."

"Yes, I do, actually," Melody replied, biting her lip. "My family showed me that feeling."

"So did mine." Chara sighed.

"If they hadn't been so obsessed with art, maybe they could've…" Melody paused. "They could've come to my performance, and then…" She sighed. "I wouldn't have come here." She made a face. "My dancing friends are not really the nicest people. They tend to be very annoying. Honestly, all you guys are far nicer. So I don't really have a best friend like you do."

"You are all very lonely, aren't you?" Chara realized. They laughed. "Well that's a hilarious coincidence. No one is happy after all." They mumbled, "Perhaps I am not as alone as I thought."

* * *

After being trolled by the Legendary Artifact **[A/N: Gonna be skipping over that, sorry Annoying Dog fans]** , the kids walked through a rainy area. They found Monster Kid. They wouldn't shut up about Undyne. Chara spoke with them - they gushed about the monster together. Melody rolled her eyes. She still didn't like Undyne. She wasn't sure if the others did. Frisk seemed to like her. Brayden did as well. Faye didn't mind.

The kids passed the view of the castle. Chara stared at it with longing in their eyes. Frisk gave them a smile.

"We'll save Asriel, don't worry." they said brightly.

"I should hope so." Chara sighed, observing themself. Fear was in their eyes.

"Chara… why do you keep looking at yourself like that?" Frisk asked.

"Like what?" Chara asked grouchily. They stormed off. "I am not looking at myself. You are imagining things."

Frisk sighed. They made a face. "Hide your feelings all you want, Chara. But I promise, I will find out what's going on."

* * *

"Yo, this ledge is way too steep…" Monster Kid observed a ledge ahead of the kids. They faced the group. "Hmm… you guys wanna see Undyne, right...?"

"Absolutely." Chara said, grinning.

"Climb on my shoulders," Monster Kid replied. They faced the ledge.

"But what 'bout you?" Brayden asked, frowning. "We don't wanna leave you here."

"Don't worry about me," Monster Kid replied brightly. "I always find a way to get through!" The kids climbed on their shoulders. They got onto the ledge. Monster Kid grinned at them, then raced off. Faye waved after them.

"I quite liked that monster," Chara sighed. "Oh well." After Frisk saved, the kids walked onto another bridge. Their faces were covered with shadows. Melody had a bad feeling about this. And she was right to have one.

Blue patches appeared around the kids. They looked suspiciously dangerous. Chara smiled. No one else smiled.

"UNDYNE!" Brayden yelled.

"Not again…" Melody sighed, bowing her head. Frisk hastily pulled everyone back (somehow). The blue patches turned into spears. They almost impaled the kids.

"Come on!" Frisk yelled. They speed-walked off. Brayden ran, overtaking them. Chara and Melody glanced at each other.

"Don't die." Chara told Melody. Melody nodded at them. Chara ran off, yelling out Frisk's name. They narrowly avoided a spear. Sans' jacket blew back in the wind. They caught up to Frisk. Faye, meanwhile, was taking her time, hanging around the back. Undyne was too busy chasing the other kids to notice. Faye decided she could relax.

Melody definitely could not relax. She caught up to Chara and Frisk. Chara was clinging onto Frisk's arm, whimpering. Brayden was yelling in pain; he'd got a spear in his shoulder. Frisk grabbed his arm. They stared at Undyne, then at the ground. They avoided more spears. They were swift, like the wind. Melody found she was rather impressed. Frisk must've had lots of experience.

"Melody!" Frisk yelled, staring at her. She joined in with the others. Even more blue patches were appearing. The spears were getting more frequent. Brayden yelled some bad words at Undyne. Frisk kept their head down, dodging more spears. Determination was in their eyes. Melody didn't know what to say or what to think. She just kept following Frisk, hoping they would get somewhere. And they did. Unfortunately, it was a dead end.

"Here we go." Frisk sighed.

"What's happening?" Melody asked with worry.

"WHERE'S FAYE?!" Brayden yelled. He sounded slightly worried.

"Oh dearie me…" Chara mumbled. Frisk took a step forward. Undyne appeared on the bridge, spears ready.

"IF YOU HURT FAYE, I'LL KILL YOU!" Brayden threatened. Frisk couldn't help but smirk.

"Don't do this." Melody pleaded emotionally. "Please." Undyne ignored her. She brought down some spears. The bridge was cut in half. The kids plummeted towards the darkness below. Chara closed their eyes. They didn't scream. They just accepted whatever was coming towards them. What more could they do?

* * *

"Oh, no, this happened in the original too," Faye complained, eyeing the drop at the end of the bridge. "Why me…" Undyne held up some spears. "Okay, okay…" She jumped down, sighing miserably.


	7. Perseverance

**A/N: Howdy! So I have Wattpad now. My name is FridayHater. I'm planning to put Grouptale and a few other fics on there. Also, I started a poll on my profile. Should I change my username? Really appreciate it if you guys voted :)**

 **Also! This account turns two tomorrow... wow... it's growing up so fast. :( Soon it'll be graduating. Makin' something on my DeviantART, you guys can go check it out. Also there's fan art too. And self-promotion apparently. Happy reading friends! :D**

* * *

 _W… where am I? I… Help! Someone! Anyone! Please… I… Help! Help!_

 _It sounds like it came from over here… Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you… are you okay?_

 _No… I think I hurt my leg…_

 _Here, get up…_

 _Chara._

 _Huh?_

 _That's my name. "Chara"._

 _… Chara, huh? That's a nice name. My name is…_

"... Asriel," Chara mumbled, rubbing their head. "Asriel Dreemurr."

"FAYE! GET OFF ME!" Brayden yelled.

"This really needs to stop…" Faye sighed, landing in the water. The kids had landed in the Garbage Dump, which the lazy author isn't describing. Chara eyed the golden flowers they had landed on. Their heart tinged with pain. They shut their eyes tightly and adjusted their jacket. Their feet were dipped in the cool water. They swished them around, sighing heavily. They needed something to wear over their legs. They looked at Melody's tutu. They wondered…

Brayden stormed ahead, eyeing all the garbage. He'd never seen so much garbage before. The water was swirling around his legs. Frisk caught up to him. They gave him a friendly smile. Brayden gave them a toothy grin back. He liked this kid. They were friendly, cheerful, determined. And they were really smart.

"Why do you have yellow skin?" Brayden asked them, kind of curious. "And are you and Chara family or something? You look, like, a lot like them."

Frisk shrugged. "I guess I just do. Chara and I aren't related, I'm pretty sure. Chara would hate that."

"Why?" Brayden asked, making a face.

Frisk laughed half-heartedly. "Chara doesn't like me very much." They kept walking, their head down.

"But you're so happy!" Brayden protested. "You're like a… puppy or something!"

" _You're_ like a puppy." Frisk teased, making a face. They booped his nose and ran off.

"HEY!" Brayden yelled. "NO ONE BOOPS MY NOSE!" He chased Frisk. Frisk blew a raspberry at him and passed mountains of garbage, saving their SAVE file on the way. Chara stayed behind with the girls.

"Ugh." Melody snorted, eyeing Frisk and Brayden. Chara was wearing her tutu. They looked extremely odd. But at the moment, they really couldn't care less. They followed the girls, passing the garbage.

"What is this place?" Faye asked.

"The Garbage Dump," Chara answered. "The home of piles of garbage from the surface." They mumbled, "Just like me." **[A/N: Me too... eck.]**

Frisk and Brayden, meanwhile, were nearby the exit of the garbage dump. Frisk convinced Brayden not to beat up a dummy, because that's usually not a good idea. They also took some Astronaut Food (for feeding a pet astronaut). The dummy ended up coming to life and standing in their way. The girls caught up to the action.

"What are those two doing?" Melody asked. She eyed the dummy. "What is that thing?!"

"I am a ghost that lives inside a DUMMY, you fool!" the dummy answered.

"That doesn't look like a dummy," Melody commented. "That looks like something that came out of a trash-can!" She frowned. "So we're right at home, aren't we?"

"OOHHHHH MELODY!" Brayden yelled. "SHUT THEM DOWN LIKE A LAPTOP!"

"(Please don't.)" Chara sighed.

"You think you can insult ME?!" the dummy asked. "I will KILL you!" Magic missles surrounded Melody. She took a step back, making a face. "Now you will die. Die! DIE! AHA HA HA HA HA HA!" Suddenly, a ghost known as Napstablook appeared. They cried all over the dummy.

"Wh… what the heck is this?" the dummy screamed. "Ergh! Acid rain?" They frowned. "Oh, FORGET IT! I'm outta here!" They left. The children applauded Napstablook.

"Nice to see you, Napstablook!" Faye said brightly.

"Yeah!" Frisk agreed, smirking. "What's up?"

"Oh, it's the ghost that does not have a sense of humor." Chara mumbled. Melody and Brayden just looked confused.

"Oh hi…" Napstablook greeted, sounding depressed as always. "Oh no… I scared your friend away… you guys didn't even look like you had hung out yet…"

"Yeah, the author was too lazy to write about the fight." Faye commented. **[A/N: Bruh.]**

"Well… I'm going to head home now…" Napstablook sighed. "Oh… um… feel free to 'come with' if you want."

"Sure!" Frisk said brightly.

"NO." Chara grumbled.

"Aw c'mon Chara," Frisk grumbled, glaring at Chara. "Napstablook's place is nice!" They whispered, "You get to lay down and be garbage!"

"I don't need to lay down to be garbage." Chara mumbled, looking down. Frisk frowned.

"Aw, I wanna lay down and be garbage…" Faye sighed.

"But you're not garbage!" Brayden told her.

"We shouldn't re-use jokes from the original…" Faye mumbled.

"What original?" Brayden asked, making a face. "Original-flavoured chips?" Suddenly he looked hungry.

"Yeah," Faye winked. "We'll say that."

* * *

"This is nice…" Chara said, lying down. The kids were in Napstablook's house. It was rather small and spooky. Chara was covering their face with their hands. The other kids were lying down, surrounding them. It was rather peaceful, Chara had to admit. And they were a natural at lying around and feeling like garbage. They thought about Asriel once more…

 _I… I don't like this idea, Chara._

 _You're scared. You're crying._

 _Wh… what? N-no, I'm not… big kids don't cry._

 _Then we should go ahead with the plan._

 _Yeah, you're right._

 _… are you lying to me, Asriel? … are you… doubting me?_

 _No! I'd never doubt you, Chara. Never!_

"Of course you wouldn't, Azz," Chara mumbled, their voice croaky. "Though I wish you had." They put their face in the white fluff around their neck. They sniffled.

"... are you crying, Chara?" Faye asked them quietly. Chara tensed up.

"I do not cry." they answered sternly. They forced themself to smile. "I smile and laugh."

* * *

The kids left Napstablook's house. It was next to Undyne's house, which no one was happy about. Aside from Chara of course. It was also next to someone's house that Napstablook didn't want to talk about. The kids did find something interesting, however. There was a shop run by a tortoise monster named Gerson.

"I heard there's something interesting in there." Faye said, looking at the shop.

"It doesn't matter." Chara said, already walking off. Everyone else (aside from Brayden) was going to the shop. "You are not serious." The other two groaned and followed. Inside the shop was a carpet. The wall was full of crystals and the symbol of the monster kingdom. Gerson was talking to a human boy who was sitting on the ground. He was holding a notebook and pen.

"I don't know why you want to keep talking 'bout that, little fella." Gerson chuckled.

"I need to know every detail, so I can write a full-page analysis." the boy answered in a monotone.

"You're a strange kid, aren'tcha?" Gerson chuckled.

"HEY!" Brayden yelled. The boy jumped and covered his ears.

"Woah there!" Gerson faced the other kids. "More humans! Well isn't this a surprise!" He looked at the boy. "Ain't it, little fella?" The boy had disappeared. "Where's he gone off to?" Gerson chuckled and shook his head. "Strange kid, that boy."

"How long has he been here?" Frisk asked.

"And _how_ did he get here?" Melody asked.

"Well, I was just minding my own business, actually trying to _get_ some business, when this boy showed up," Gerson answered. "He was pretty injured. Poor thing, I couldn't leave him there to die. So I invited him in, gave him some food, and told him some stories. He loves it." He scratched his wrinkled head. "I have no idea how long he's been down 'ere. He doesn't like talking too much, but he sure does know a lot of random facts. Wah ha ha!"

"Aww…" Faye sighed. "Sounds sad…"

"Pitiful indeed," Chara grumbled. "Can we leave now?"

"Hey, y'all are humans too, right?" Gerson asked. "Maybe you could take him with you!"

"Yeah!" Frisk agreed.

"No!" Chara complained. They frowned. "Oh, why do I even bother anymore? Bring him over here. I will introduce us."

"Alrighty," Gerson winked. He looked behind him. "Hey! Little fella! There are some humans here you can travel with."

"Groups," the boy replied. He was hiding behind a pillar. "I don't like groups. I want to stay here."

"You can't stay here forever, fella," Gerson sighed. "You and the others need to go and see ASGORE, like I told ya."

"No." the boy replied. He was shivering. "No. No no no no. No no no no no no no."

"What the heck is wrong with him?" Brayden asked, raising his brow.

"Well, he is saying no," Chara said. They turned around. "Let's depart."

"I'll talk to him," Melody sighed. She walked over to the boy. She could see him clearly now. He had pale skin and straight black hair that reached his chin. He was wearing large cloudy glasses. He was wearing a purple sweater with a black stripe on the middle and two black stripes on the arms. His pants were black and he was wearing black shoes.

"Don't touch me." the boy said, stepping back. He sounded… scared. He was sweating.

"Why are you so afraid?" Melody asked. "We're just other kids. We're not going to hurt you. We want to be friends!"

"No." the boy was still afraid. "No. I can't. Stay away."

"Come on now," Melody said, holding out her hand. "It's okay. You're going to be okay. We'll look after you." She paused. "What's your name?"

"Percy…" the boy responded. "Don't touch me."

"I like that name," Melody told him, pulling her hand away. She smiled. "I really do. Come on, Percy. You don't have to talk to the other kids, even though they're not that scary. You can just talk to me, okay?"

"... okay." Percy stood up and brushed himself off. "What's your name?"

"I'm Melody Trust," Melody responded. This was the strangest boy she had ever met. He seemed so scared of talking to people. And he was sensitive to noise and touch. "I'll introduce you to the others."

"Um, I believe I should say something." Percy spoke up.

"What is it?" Melody asked.

"Do you like..." Percy paused. "... anime?"

"Did someone say anime?!" Frisk asked, running over to Percy. He leaned back. "Hey! I love anime! Especially Pokemon!"

"Pokemon is a personal favourite of mine," Percy replied. He almost brightened up. "Have you seen Mew Mew Kissy Cutie?"

"Yeah," Frisk answered. They made a face. "It's… um… interesting…"

"I love it!" Percy squealed, suddenly a fan-girl. "It's so adorable. There are so many messages about friendship…"

"That is one strange human," Chara commented, eyeing Percy. "I have never seen such a person in my whole existence."

"I like him." Faye said, smiling.

"He looks like a wimp," Brayden admitted. He grinned. "BUT I CAN MAKE HIM A NON-WIMP!"

"Please don't yell…" Percy yelped, flinching.

"Why not?" Brayden asked. He came over to Percy and put his arm around his shoulder. "I'M A MAN OF STRENGTH AND BRAVERY!"

"Don't touch me!" Percy shoved him off. Brayden fell over.

"YOU WANNA FIGHT ME?!" the orange boy asked, getting up and glaring at Percy. Melody held him back.

"Interesting indeed." Chara admired. A smirk had appeared on their face.

* * *

"Ooh, it's so pretty." Faye looked around. The kids were walking past a lot of waterfalls. Little golden sparks were flying nearby the echo flowers. Percy was taking notes on monster history. That's when the kids encountered Special Enemy Temmie.

"Oh no…" Frisk mumbled. "My allergies…"

"I assume you know you're allergic to that monster because you fought her in other timelines?" Percy suggested. "According to what you've told me."

"Yes, that's true," Chara replied. "I'm glad you've actually got a brain."

"Everyone has a brain." Percy replied, tilting his head.

"I was complimenting you using satire." Chara said, raising their brow.

"She's adorable!" Faye commented, eyeing Temmie.

"... the heck is she?" Brayden asked. He was trying not to make a kawaii face.

"It appears to be a fusion of a cat and a dog." Percy answered.

"You're even more confusing than Chara!" Brayden exclaimed, staring at Percy.

"It is because you _lack_ a brain." Chara told Brayden, smirking. Brayden growled.

"If Brayden lacked a brain, he would be dead." Percy rebuked.

"Again, I was using satire to insult him." Chara said, folding their arms. "You understand satire, yes?"

"I know the definition," Percy replied. He opened his notebook. "It is the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues."

"But do you understand it?" Chara asked, making a face. They liked using big words but for goodness' sake - that sounded like it was copied and pasted from the internet. (Which it totally isn't or anything...) Percy looked away.

"Perhaps not." he answered, bowing his head.

* * *

The kids continued through Waterfall, seeing all the lanterns and other things. Percy didn't seem to know a thing about social interaction but he knew about everything else. Chara actually liked him. He wasn't annoying, he kept to himself, and he actually offered advice about saving Asriel. And he had a purple SOUL. He was a soul of perseverance. Chara had to admit they were surprised by that. They thought a soul of perseverance would be more like Brayden or Frisk. But no…

The kids stopped at Temmie Village, the weirdest place Chara had seen for a while. Frisk sold a bunch of random things, making tons of money. Percy took notes. The temmies disliked Brayden because he was sweaty. And Faye simply talked with them.

After that, the kids explored a room full of lanterns. Faye still thought Waterfall was beautiful. If she lived Underground, she would've lived there. Percy was pretty good with puzzles, but Frisk was better, because they knew everything so well.

The kids stumbled across an echo flower and were confronted by Undyne. She stepped in front of the kids. Brayden, Frisk and Chara stood in front of the others.

"Seven," Undyne growled. "Seven human souls."

"Undyne!" Chara squealed. They composed themself. "It's an honour to meet you."

"Seriously?" Melody asked, making a face.

Undyne looked confused. She continued. "With the power of seven human souls, our king… King ASGORE Dreemurr… will become a god. With that power, ASGORE can shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity… and give them back the pain and suffering we have endured."

"Try me!" Brayden yelled, putting his fist in his palm. Chara kept grinning. Melody stepped forward.

"You don't know why we're here," she said, crossing her arms. "But _we_ do. And we know we're not here to die to you. So clear off!"

"You don't understand!" Undyne hissed. "This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your souls… Or I'll tear them from your bodies!" A blue spear appeared in her grip.

"So heroic!" Chara gasped. No one else looked as thrilled as they did. Suddenly, Monster Kid ran in front of the kids.

"Undyne!" they cheered. "I'll help you fight!" They eyed the humans. "YO! You did it! Undyne is RIGHT in front of you guys! You've got front row seats to her fight!"

"I know, right?" Chara cheered back.

"Wait…" Monster Kid looked confused. "Who's she fighting?" Undyne grabbed Monster Kid's cheek and pulled them away. "H-hey! You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?"

"Undyne fans unite." Chara sighed dreamily.

"I think you and that kid are the only ones who actually like Undyne." Melody sighed.

"Hey! I like Undyne too!" Frisk chirped. "She's my friend!" They paused. "Well, in other timelines she is! And she can be in this one too!"

"As much as I love Undyne, I'm afraid we can't waste time befriending her," Chara said, adjusting Sans' jacket. "We have a mission, do not forget."

* * *

"I really don't trust bridges anymore." Melody said. The kids were walking across a thin bridge, passing over some pillars.

"I don't see the trouble with bridges," Percy replied. He was sticking nearby her. "They're quite stable."

"Then you've been lucky." Melody told him.

"Hey!" Monster Kid called behind the kids. They cautiously approached the group. "Yo, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but… I wanna ask you all something. Man, I've never had to ask anyone this before… um…"

"Spit it out!" Brayden yelled. Melody glared at him.

"Yo, you're humans, right...?" Monster Kid asked, looking anxious.

"They are, but I'm not," Chara answered. "I am a trash can." **[A/N: Wow me too XD]**

"Chara!" Frisk grumbled.

"Me too." Percy added.

"Guys, come on!" Frisk grumbled. They folded their arms. "Don't listen to them, MK. We're human."

"Haha. Man! I knew it!" Monster Kid laughed. They frowned. "I know it now, I mean… Undyne told me, um… 'stay away from those humans'. So, like, um… I guess that makes us enemies or something."

"Oh no," Chara frowned. "That means we cannot create the Undyne fan club!"

"You want to make an Undyne fan club?" Melody asked, shaking her head.

"I know," Monster Kid looked sad. "And I kinda stink at being enemies anyway, haha. Yo, say something mean so I can hate you? Please?"

"Oh," Chara made a face. "I have been summoned." They were about to say something.

"No," Frisk held up their hand. "Not today." They stepped forward. "MK, I'm sorry, but we're not being enemies."

"Aw man, I wanted to beat some people up!" Brayden whined.

"Shush," Frisk said over their shoulder. They grinned at Monster Kid. "As I was saying, we're not being enemies."

Melody stepped forward. "No, we're not. I don't think we have time for that. We're here for other reasons." She cleared her throat. "Hello. I'm Melody Trust. This is Chara, Frisk, Brayden, Faye and Percy." The respective humans waved. Aside from Chara. They were growling.

"Excuse me," they said, glaring at Melody. "But you will _not_ steal my dialogue, Melody."

"Excuse me, but I'm the leader," Melody replied, folding her arms. "So deal with it, Chara."

"OHH CHARA YOU JUST GOT ROASTED LIKE A TURKEY ON THANKSGIVING!" Brayden yelled.

"I'll roast _you_ like a turkey on Thanksgiving if that blasphemy continues, Brayden." Chara threatened. They took a deep breath and faced Monster Kid. "Please ignore those idiots. They're human. Humans don't know anything."

"That's racist." Percy commented.

" _It was racist when humans sealed monsters underground!_ " Chara retorted. They folded their arms. "ANYWAY." They grinned at Monster Kid. "My name is CHARA. Those are my stupid accomplices. We're on a mission to save my best friend. Please get out of way and pass the message onto Undyne."

"Wow, that sounds pretty important, dudes…" Monster Kid chuckled. "I suppose I'll leave you alone then. But, um… we don't have to be enemies, right?"

"Of course not." Chara said, with a small smile. They waved their hand. "Off you go." Monster Kid walked away, smiling at the humans. Suddenly, they tripped, hanging over the side of the bridge. They were holding on with their teeth.

"Yo, w-w-wait!" they squeaked. "Help! I tripped!"

Suddenly, Undyne appeared, a fierce glare in her eyes.

"I got you, MK!" Frisk yelled. Ignoring Undyne, they raced over to Monster Kid. They leaned down and pulled the monster child up. Meanwhile, Brayden was giving Undyne the stink-eye. Melody held him back. Faye was shivering. Percy clutched his notes very tightly.

"Y… y… yo dude…" Monster Kid squeaked. They stood in front of the children, facing Undyne. "If… if y-you wanna hurt my friends… you're gonna have to get through me, first." Undyne backed away, disappearing. Monster Kid faced Frisk. "Yo, you really saved my skin. Thanks." Frisk gave them a thumbs up. Monster Kid looked at the others. "Being enemies was just a nice thought after all, haha. We'll just have to be friends instead."

"Hooray." Percy said with no enthusiasm at all.

"... man, I should REALLY go home…" Monster Kid sighed. "I bet my parents are worried sick about me!" They trotted off. But looked back. "Later, dudes!"

"Aww, I like that kid," Faye commented. "They're really cute."

"But not as cute as Brayden, right?" Frisk teased. Faye and Brayden blushed.

"Oh, my gods," Percy looked astonished. "Is that a ship I see?"

"Please, end me." Chara face-palmed.

* * *

"Seven," Undyne boomed, standing on a pile of rocks. "Seven human souls, and King ASGORE will become a god. Six. There are six of you here. Understand? With your six souls, this world will be transformed. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far… I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people."

Chara got out their popcorn. They were grinning. "This is gonna be so good!"

"More like so boring!" Brayden grumbled. Percy had his notebook ready.

"It all started, long ago…" Undyne looked away. She looked back. "No, you know what?" She yelled, "SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU ALL THAT STORY, WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE?! NGAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She removed her helmet. Her eye glowed.

"THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!" Brayden yelled. Chara sighed and put their popcorn away. Percy hid his face behind his notebook.

"YOU KIDS!" Undyne screamed. "You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys' history books made me think humans were cool… with their giant robots and flowery swordswoman…"

"Anime…!" Percy squeaked in realization.

"BUT YOU?" Undyne asked. "You're all just a bunch of cowards!"

"You callin' me a coward?!" Brayden growled, holding his fist out. "I AM A MAN OF STRENGTH AND BRAVERY! I WILL COME UP THERE AND BEAT THE HELL OUT OF YOU!"

"Brayden…" Faye gushed. She looked really embarrassed afterwards.

"Undyne…" Chara gushed. They didn't look quite as embarrassed afterwards.

"Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again!" Undyne ranted. "And let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes-schtick!" She put on a cheesy tone. "Ooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!" She growled. "You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD! That's right, humans! Your continued existence is a crime!"

"We're here to save Chara's best friend you dope!" Melody protested.

"Your lives are all that stand between us and our freedom!" Undyne continued. "Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together. Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose!"

"So true…" Chara sighed.

"Now, humans! Let's end this right here, right now!" Undyne screamed. "I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready! Fuhuhuhu!"

"Chara, you can't keep fan-girling forever," Melody prodded Chara with her ballet shoe. "We have to SAVE your best friend, right?"

"Hee hee hee of course," Chara responded. They shook their head. They observed themself. Their voice cracked. "Absolutely."

* * *

 **A/N: So, Percy is more sensitive and anxious here compared to the original. He's more used to people there. But he still gets stressed. Look, I can relate. I hate school, but not because of the work. That's the easy part. Being social when there's so much pressure on you is. And when you're Aspie, it's really hard. So I know the struggle. And Percy and Brayden's relationship is based on real experiences I've had with people.**

 **Jeez these author's notes are selfish and full of vent. Sorry people. I'd better go now :/**


	8. Undyne and Mettaton

**I have been doing much drawing these last few days (dying over here), and during that time I coloured the cover for this fanfiction. I'll upload it onto my DeviantART sometime.**

 **This chapter is slightly different from the one in the original... there's much more... dirty stuff...? 0_0**

 **Also, I found out during this chapter there is a website literally dedicated to pick-up lines centered around marine life. Not kidding. Look it up yourself… they are truly the worst pick up lines I have ever seen. The things you discover when writing fanfiction. :/**

* * *

"En garde!" Undyne yelled, waving her spear in the air. Chara was squealing into Sans' jacket.

"Chara, don't you have something to say?" Melody asked, folding her arms.

"Oh, right," Chara cleared their throat. They stepped forward. "Greetings, Undyne. I'm Chara. First of all I must say, I am a big fan of yours. I love your stuff. But, um, I'm afraid my fri- accomplices and I are on a mission. We are a mission to save my best friend. So, I really hate to be a bother, but could you… move out of the way and let us pass?" They smiled. "Please?"

Undyne laughed. "That's cute!" She growled. "But you don't understand! We need your souls to shatter the barrier! And do you think I'm just gonna let six humans pass by without even attempting to fight them? If you kids wanna find your best friend, you're gonna have to defeat me first!"

"Oh botheration." Chara grumbled.

"YEAH!" Brayden yelled, putting his fist in his palm.

"Don't worry Chara," Frisk whispered to Chara. "I've got a plan."

"A plan you say." Chara said, eyeing Frisk. "What plan is this?"

Frisk smirked. "You'll see."

Undyne passed the children a spear each, grinning broadly. Percy was freaking out. He hadn't been in a big fight like this before. Melody smiled at him. Percy didn't have the energy to smile back. Despite that, he liked Melody. She was salty, but… she was surprisingly nice. At least to him. Percy had to appreciate that.

"Ooh." Faye observed the spear. Brayden was running around and yelling insults. That's when Undyne started throwing spears at the children. Frisk was extremely talented when it came to defending themself. They blocked off every spear that approached them. If only the others were so talented. The amount of spears… how fast they were moving towards him… Percy didn't know what to do. He fell over, panting heavily. Spears impaled him. He felt like he was on fire. He was burning in pain.

"Percy!" Melody exclaimed, eyeing him. Her face creased up. "Are you okay?"

"I… I don't know…" Percy replied. He shivered. Melody was shivering too. She couldn't defend herself against these spears either. They were killing her all over again. She held back tears as she fell over, unable to move. The pain was almost blinding her…

"Frisk, you should use your plan." Faye told Frisk, eyeing Percy and Melody. She was standing behind the yellow human. Frisk made a face.

"You're right," they replied brightly. Suddenly, their voice was serious. They stared at Faye. "Faye, when the plan is action, I want you and the others to run away as fast as you can."

"But what about you, Frisk?" Faye asked quietly.

Frisk winked at her. Suddenly they were cheerful and bubbly again. "I'll be fine! Aren't I always?" They grinned. Faye gave them a timid nod. She wasn't sure if she believed them. But she decided not to protest. She wasn't very good at that anyway.

"Also, one more thing," Frisk held out the cell phone. "Take this. Someone's going to call you while you're running away."

Faye accepted the phone with a nod, before going over to speak to the others. Frisk approached Undyne. They flipped their hair back and grinned at her.

"Hey, baby," they greeted, using a sensual voice. They could sense Chara face-palming from a mile away. "Are you a remote?"

"Uh… no?" Undyne asked, looking confused.

"Because, baby," Frisk wiggled their eyebrows. "You really… turn me on." **[A/N: I made that one up…...… fun fact….….]**

"Wh… what?!" Undyne looked so disturbed. "YOU'RE A FREAKING CHILD!"

"Oh sushi baby, I've got way more where that came from," Frisk said, blowing her a kiss. Undyne cringed. Meanwhile, the other humans were slipping away. Melody helped Percy stand up. He didn't resist her touching him this time. Brayden didn't really want to run away. But it seemed he had no choice.

"I strongly dislike Frisk's plan, but it's the only way we can survive this battle." Chara grumbled.

"I do hope Frisk is okay." Melody commented, eyeing Frisk. They were giving Undyne a very… sexual gesture with their fingers that we really shouldn't talk about. Undyne roared and threw spears at them. Frisk deflected every single one. Their gestures started getting more… revealing….

"NO NO NO STOP!" Undyne bellowed, stepping back and covering her face.

"We should really get a move on…" Chara said, feeling awkward. The humans slipped away, following the path. Undyne was still screaming 'NO NO NO!', which means Frisk was doing their job well. Possibly a little too well.

"Welcome to Hotland." Percy noticed a sign ahead. It was electronic with big, bold letters.

"That's not a very creative name." Melody snorted.

"Mr. Dad Guy - I mean ASGORE - is not very creative when it comes to names." Chara shrugged, blushing more than usual.

"Mr… Dad Guy?" Brayden asked, giggling. Chara glared at him.

"Mr. Dad Guy is the king, right?" Faye asked, looking up.

"Don't call him that." Chara grumbled. Faye apologized quietly.

"I learnt a lot about ASGORE during my time with Gerson," Percy said, opening his notebook. "He wants seven human souls to shatter the barrier, then apparently he will take over the surface."

"Oh heck no!" Brayden stood up. "I AIN'T GONNA LET HIM DO THAT!"

"Hmm," Chara responded. Suddenly the phone rung. Chara raised their brow. "I thought Frisk had the phone?"

"They gave it to me," Faye replied. "They said we would get a phone call." She answered the phone. "Hello?"

"HEY!" Papyrus' voice boomed from the phone. "WHAT'S UP?!"

"Oh for goodness' sake…" Chara grumbled, folding their arms.

"Who is that?" Percy asked, adjusting his glasses.

"IS THAT ANOTHER NEW QUEST MEMBER?" Papyrus gasped. "WOWIE! SO MANY HUMANS SCATTERED OVER THE UNDERGROUND LIKE RANDOM OBJECTS! HELLO, RANDOM HUMAN! I AM PAPYRUS, MEMBER-TO-BE OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

"Member-to-be?" Percy asked. "I've never heard that term before." He opened up his notebook to record this stunning, life-changing revelation.

"WELL, ANYWAY!" Papyrus continued. "I WAS JUST THINKING… YOU GUYS, ME, AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME! I THINK YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT PALS! LET'S MEET UP AT HER HOUSE LATER!" He hung up.

Chara gasped with joy, then they frowned. "I want to meet Undyne so very much, but Papyrus ruins it for me…"

"I really don't want to meet Undyne." Melody grumbled.

"I think she could be nice…" Faye said quietly. She was speaking too quietly for anyone to notice.

"UNDYNE CAN MEET MY FISTS!" Brayden yelled, putting his fist in his palm.

"Our journey to 'save' Asriel is more important." Percy commented, adjusting his glasses.

"Well then, I'm glad no one wants to go, because we won't be going." Chara said, folding their arms.

"Frisk would want to go…" Faye mumbled.

"Of course they would," Chara replied, eyeing her. "But we cannot. I'm sorry. We have a mission. We can't stop by on every date." They looked away.

"We haven't stopped by on any date…" Faye mumbled.

"Well, Chara's right," Melody walked over to Chara. "I know you want to take it slow Faye, but like Chara said, we're on a mission. We can't really do that."

Faye looked up. She almost wanted to say something. But she held it back. She wasn't that type of kid.

"GUYS!" The kids heard Frisk yelling. "GET TO HOTLAND! NOW!"

"I'LL KILL YOU LITTLE BRATS!" Undyne screamed, surrounded by spears.

"Run!" Chara demanded. The kids took off, running for their very lives. Brayden still looked like he wanted to fight Undyne, despite running away from her. Percy did not. This running was killing him. He stuck nearby Melody, who kept giving him sympathetic glances. Brayden grabbed Faye's arm and dragged her along. He wasn't going to let her fall behind. No way.

"STAY BACK, SEXY FISH!" Frisk yelled at Undyne.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Undyne screamed. Frisk dodged a spear, their hair whipping around their shoulders.

"It's so… hot here…" Chara sighed, sweat pouring down their face while they pointed out the obvious. The kids had arrived in Hotland: the hot, dry area, full of lava and hot platforms. Sans was snoozing at a sentry station.

"Another bridge?" Melody groaned, eyeing a bridge crossing over the lava. "Are you serious?"

"HEY! WAKE UP!" Brayden yelled at Sans. The skeleton didn't budge.

"Don't worry about him!" Chara said, grabbing Brayden's arm. "Come along!" The kids raced across the bridge. Brayden was still holding onto Faye's arm. She looked both embarrassed and tired from running. Her cheeks were flushed. Thankfully, she and Brayden had reached the end. Percy had tripped over mid-way on the bridge. He was clutching his notebook. Undyne was glaring at him.

"Percy, no!" Melody screamed. She hadn't known this boy for long, but he was a surprisingly cool friend. He was way better than any of her dancing friends. He was loyal in a strange, monotonous way. Melody couldn't ask for much more. She would hate to lose him.

"I got it!" Frisk shouted. They raced in front of Percy, staring at Undyne. They started making really dirty gestures again.

"CUT THAT OUT!" Undyne screamed, covering her face. She was also sweating quite a lot. While she was freaking out, Percy slipped away to the others. He tightly gripped his notebook. He relaxed ever so slightly.

"So… HOT!" Undyne yelled, wiping perspiration off her face.

"I know, I'm super sexy." Frisk responded with a smirk. They wiggled their hips.

"NOT YOU!" Undyne bellowed. "THIS… PLACE!" She panted. She collapsed onto the bridge.

"Undyne…!" Chara exclaimed. They turned to a water cooler beside them. They raced over to it and filled up a cup of water. They walked over to Undyne and poured it over her head. She got up, shaking her head. She looked around for a bit before walking off, back to Waterfall. Chara sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness that's over." Melody sighed. She smiled at Percy. He gave her a tiny smile back.

"Frisk," Chara eyed Frisk.

"What is it, Chara my darling?" Frisk asked, winking.

"If you ever do something like that again I will dispose of you in the Garbage Dump." Chara answered.

"Sexy." Frisk replied, smirking. Chara looked completely dumbfounded by that comment. So is the author. So let's cut to another scene.

* * *

The kids stumbled across a large, white laboratory. Inside was a geeky dinosaur known as Dr. Alphys, who had been basically stalking the kids since they left the RUINS, via security cameras. She was going to stop them…

"But… seeing all of you guys meet each other and work like a little family…" Alphys giggled. "It… it was so adorable! So, uh, now I want to help you instead!"

"Fantastic, we've got a stalker on our side." Chara grumbled.

"Chara!" Frisk gave Chara the stink-eye. "Alphys is going to help us save Asriel."

"That's what that skeleton said, but did he help us?" Chara asked grumpily. Frisk made a face. "That is what I thought."

"We should at least give her a chance," Melody said, folding her arms. She nodded at Alphys. "Go on."

Alphys explained about the ('sexy') killer robot known as Mettaton who made fabulous TV shows. That would've been nice for the kids to know, but the robot wanted to kill them. That sort of ruined their opinion. Percy was more interested in the anime posters on Alphys' wall. Suddenly, the kids heard stomping all around them…

"Is that my sister when she wakes up for school?!" Brayden asked, looking around.

"Is your sister the size of your ego?" Chara asked, making a face. Brayden growled.

"Oh no." Alphys said with realization.

"Oh yessss." Frisk whispered, still smirking. The wall smashed opened, revealing…

"Is that a calculator?!" Brayden asked. He groaned. "NOOOO! I HATE MATHS!"

It was actually Mettaton in his box form. "OH YES!" he yelled, sounding very sexual. **[A/N: How many times are words associated with sex going to appear in this chapter?]** "WELCOME, BEAUTIES… TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!" A light switched on. Mettaton waved at the audience. Confetti came down from the ceiling. Melody complained about it getting caught in her hair.

"OH BOY!" Mettaton exclaimed. "I CAN ALREADY TELL IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW! EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR CONTESTANTS!" Even more confetti rained down on the children. Melody complained about it even more. Chara told her to shut up. Melody told them that was a bad word. Chara said they didn't care.

"NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUSESS?" Mettaton asked.

"I have!" Frisk held up their hand.

"THEN YOU SHOULD KNOW THE RULES!" Mettaton replied. He pointed at Frisk with a white-gloved hand. "ANSWER CORRECTLY…"

"Or you die!" Frisk finished. They said it very cheerfully. Everyone eyed them for a bit. They grinned back like they had no problems at all.

"Mettaton attacks." Chara said. They took a deep breath. "Allow me." They approached Mettaton. "Greetings. I'm Chara. My accomplices and I are on a mission to save my BFF. It's very important, so _get out of my way._ "

Mettaton ignored Chara. "LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE! _What's the prize for answering correctly?_ "

"My knife in your rear end." Chara growled.

"Dammit Chara," Frisk grumbled.

"Mercy is a choice…" Faye said quietly.

"I think I can figure out the answer." Percy said, opening his notebook.

"Don't worry about it Perce, I've got it under control!" Frisk told him with a wink.

"'Perce'..." Percy mumbled. "That's what my dad calls me." For some reason, that made him sad.

"That's great!" Frisk cheered, giving him a thumbs up. "Now watch this!" They chose the 'more questions' option, which was correct. Brayden groaned. He didn't like quiz shows. They were insanely boring and frustrating. And he was bored and frustrated already. Chara looked even angrier.

"HERE'S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE!" Mettaton yelled. " _What's the king's full name?_ "

"Mr. Dad Guy?" Brayden suggested. Chara glared at him.

"Oh, do you guys know about that?" Frisk asked, smirking. "Yeah, Chara calls ASGORE-"

"Shut up, Frisk," Chara interrupted darkly, pulling their hair.

Melody frowned. "Chara-"

"I know, and I don't care." Chara responded, folding their arms. Percy selected 'ASGORE DREEMURR', knowing he was right. More confetti poured from the ceiling. Melody sighed.

"ENOUGH ABOUT YOU," Mettaton said. "LET'S TALK ABOUT ME! _What are robots made of?_ "

"My will to live." Chara answered sarcastically.

"Chara," Frisk said warningly, putting their hands on their hips. Chara ignored them.

"What's a will to live?" Brayden asked, looking confused.

"Something you don't have." Chara responded, totally not looking at the author or anything.

"Chara!" Frisk grumbled, glaring at Chara. Frisk sighed and answered the question. It was Metal & Magic.

"HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!" Mettaton exclaimed. He asked a mathematics question which the author is too lazy to write out. Percy opened up his notebook and began solving it. Frisk already knew the answer, so they selected that. Percy was impressed.

"DON'T 'COUNT' ON YOUR VICTORY…" Mettaton replied smugly. " _How many flies are in this jar?_ " A jar holding lots of flies appeared.

"The amount of times I've wished I could die again." Chara answered.

"Chara!" Frisk snapped, folding their arms.

"Poor flies…" Faye said, eyeing the flies.

"How did he even manage to locate that many flies?" Percy asked, astounded.

"When will the maths end?!" Brayden whined, grabbing Melody's arm.

"Does it look like I know?" she asked, eyeing him with annoyance.

"I can tell you when it ends, Brayden," Frisk replied brightly. "Right now!" They chose the correct answer. There was even more confetti.

"LET'S PLAY MEMORY GAME," Mettaton said. " _Which monster is this?_ "

"I think that's a Froggit…" Faye said, looking at it.

"It is," Percy replied. He looked up from his notes. "I took notes about it."

"You were in the RUINS too?" Faye asked.

"For a short amount of time, yes." Percy responded. His voice shook ever so slightly.

"Then you saw…" Faye didn't really want to say her name. She looked down.

"Well, you guys are actually wrong!" Frisk chirped. "That's Mettaton wearing a Froggit shirt!" Turns out Frisk was right. Somehow it had to do with memory.

"BUT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE?!" Mettaton asked. " _Would you smooch a ghost?_ " Alphys, who had been watching the whole time, looked really fed up. Frisk smirked.

"Of course you would, Frisk," Chara grumbled. "You would smooch anything."

"Including you, Chara." Frisk winked at Chara. Chara's face turned red.

"I DARE YOU TWO TO KISS!" Brayden yelled, laughing manically. Chara looked so embarrassed. Frisk looked quite content.

"I don't do 'romance'," Chara spat, turning away. "That is all." They quickly selected 'Heck Yeah' to change the question.

"GREAT ANSWER!" Mettaton cheered. "I LOVE IT! HERE'S A SIMPLE ONE. _How many letters in the name Mettaton nnnnnnnnnn…_ " The ns continued.

"The amount of times I've wished I was somewhere else." Chara commented.

"Chara, I swear…!" Frisk calmed themself down.

"ARE THESE QUESTIONS ALL MATHS ONES?!" Brayden yelled in exasperation.

"We're nearly done," Frisk told him. They chose the right answer.

"TIME TO BREAK OUT THE BIG GUNS!" Mettaton exclaimed. " _In the dating simulation video game, 'Mew Mew Kissy Cutie', what is Mew Mew's favourite food?_ "

"My soul." Chara answered. Frisk smacked their arm.

"OH! OH!" Percy and Alphys screamed together. "I KNOW THIS ONE! IT'S SNAIL ICE-CREAM! IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER EVERYONE GOES TO THE BEACH! AND SHE BUYS ICE-CREAM FOR ALL OF HER FRIENDS! BUT IT'S SNAIL FLAVOUR AND SHE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTS IT! IT'S ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PARTS OF THE GAME BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY POWERFUL message about friendship and…" They looked away from each other, blushing.

"ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS," Mettaton wagged his finger. "YOU AREN'T HELPING OUR CONTESTANTS, ARE YOU?" Alphys shook her head. "OOOH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. I'LL ASK A QUESTION… YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!" Alphys started blushing.

" _Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?_ " Mettaton asked. Alphys had turned as red as Chara had.

"Me, of course." Frisk said, smirking.

"Anyone _but_ you, Frisk." Chara grumbled.

"I've got nothing for this." Melody said, backing up. Brayden shrugged. Faye didn't know what to say either. Percy was getting ready to write… fanfiction…?

"Undyne the great, of course!" Frisk answered with a bubbly tone.

"SEE, ALPHYS?" Mettaton asked. "EVEN THAT WEIRD RED HUMAN FIGURED IT OUT. YES, SHE SCRAWLS HER NAME IN THE MARGINS OF HER NOTES. SHE NAMES PROGRAMMING VARIABLES AFTER HER. SHE EVEN WRITES STORIES OF THEM TOGETHER… SHARING A DOMESTIC LIFE. PROBABILITY OF CRUSH: 101 PERCENT. MARGIN OF ERROR: 1 PERCENT."

"That means I can ship them now." Percy said, almost sounding excited. Chara wondered what was so exciting about that. Fans were weird.

"WELL WELL WELL," Mettaton waved his finger. "WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU… THIS SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION! WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS! BUT. BUT!"

"But?" Melody asked.

"But can you leave now?" Chara grumbled.

"THIS WAS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE," Mettaton chuckled. "NEXT UP, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE! MORE BLOODSHED! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS…!" He left.

"Well that was certainly something." Alphys chuckled anxiously.

"I can't believe we just had to experience that," Chara said, wiping their face. "No thank you."

"It would've been better if you weren't saying depressing things, Chara!" Frisk said, folding their arms. Chara rolled their eyes.

"Let's just get out of here." they said.

* * *

 **A/N: I kind of relate to Chara in this chapter. I say depressing stuff all the time, so coming up with it wasn't too hard. Yeah I think I have a problem.**

 **Later pe-o-pals!**


	9. Kindness

**A/N: Hey, guys. At the moment I feel terrible mentally, and I keep feeling like this story and the original are awful... and so much of me wants to discontinue both of these stories. Or at least put them on hiatus. At the same time, I don't want to do that, because I know it'll let everyone down. :( But what can I do? I feel like I've disappointed everyone already...**

 **Also, unlike the original, Cody and Clover aren't siblings. If they were, they wouldn't have climbed up Mt. Ebott. They sort of prevented each other from doing that. Little bit of, uh, lore there. XD**

 **There's also some social media/chat room stuff in this chapter. This is really the only chapter that has it. And it only exists for comedic purposes. I really have nothing else to say on that matter. XD**

 **'Happy reading' is controversial. Feel however you want while reading this crap.**

* * *

Chara really wanted to take their jacket off. The heat was killing them. But doing that… they observed themself. It would kill them even more. So Chara kept the jacket on. Despite how much Frisk was nagging them.

"Are you sure you're fine, Chara?" Frisk asked for the millionth time.

"Yes!" Chara spat, glaring at them. "I'm perfectly comfortable!"

"Doesn't look like it." Melody said, folding her arms.

"Why should that bother you?" Chara grumbled.

"Wearing too many layers in a condition like this could get you hyperthermia." Percy commented. Chara growled and glared at the barren ground. Lava moved between the patches of land, steam rising from the vents. Chara didn't like Hotland a lot. It was, well, too hot. Much like Snowdin was too cold. And it was a little boring here as well. Percy, however, found this place fascinating. All the vents and machinery excited him. It reminded him of his parents and their work.

His parents whom he would never see again. Percy's heart skipped a beat. They were the reason he was here (aside from curiosity). He felt so lost, he felt he had to escape… and through his curiosity, he found a mountain… Mt. Ebott.

 _Curiosity killed the cat_. That saying had never been more true. Percy wished he hadn't been so stupid. He sighed. At least he wasn't alone. Deep down, he hated being alone. He would never say it upfront, but he truly hated it.

For now, Percy was clutching the phone. Alphys had upgraded it, given it texting and more. She also gave the other kids phones of their own and a few spares. Percy… liked Alphys. She was a geek, just like him. And an otaku. Percy hoped they would speak again. Or text. Percy didn't like talking.

Suddenly, the phone buzzed. Alphys had posted another status. Chara groaned. They hated it when Alphys posted those. They found it irritating.

...

ALPHYS: for now i gotta call up the humans and guide them =^.^=

Humanssuck201X: Stop Posting Status Updates You Annoying Weaboo

charaisnotmynameitsfrisk: chara leave her alone. ;( and change your username!

Humanssuck201X: You Change Your Username First Idiot

imfayedingaway: guys melody and brayden are in battle its scary…

...

Frisk looked up. Brayden and Melody were battling Vulkin. The innocent volcano monster was about to drown them in lava. Frisk raced in and pushed them out of the way. Percy adjusted his glasses. Things happened too fast for him to understand. He wished he were back home with his parents. When they weren't on a business trip…

The kids continued walking, jumping over vents. Percy was still fascinated.

...

OtakuBoy: The machinery here is beyond incredible… I could spend hours here doing research.

~MelodyTrust~: Percy, if you don't focus you'll fall in the lava!

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: nah, he's fine. you can't fall in the lava. ramble all you want perce. ;)

Humanssuck201X: Please Change That Username Frisk I Do Not Want My Name To Be Apart Of The Large Social Media Community Here In The Underground

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: change your username first chara! :/

Humanssuck201X: No

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: well then i'm not changing mine! :d

👍SUPERMAN👍: GUYS I THINK A PLANE WANTS TO KISS ME!

...

Frisk flirted so hard with Tsunderplane they stopped trying to flirt with Brayden. It reminded everyone unpleasantly of the Undyne fight. The kids continued. Suddenly, Faye thought she heard something. She looked down a path full of conveyor belts. Curiosity tugged at her soul.

...

imfayedingaway: guys i hear something down that way… im gonna see what it is.

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: i'll go with you faye! :D

👍SUPERMAN👍: I'M COMING TOO!

~MelodyTrust~: Let's just all go.

Humanssuck201X: Dammit

~MelodyTrust~: Also, you didn't have to post a message up here Faye… you can speak you know.

imfayedingaway: speaking is hard.

 _OtakuBoy liked imfayedingaway's comment!_

...

The kids went to investigate what was making the noise Faye heard. It was a human boy. He was on a platform, facing the lava. He was staring at something there. He sounded so frantic.

"Don't worry Vulkin, I've got you!" he cried, holding out his arm. Beside him was a burnt pan.

"Hey!" Frisk called out to him. "Are you okay?"

"I need help!" the boy shouted back. "I'm… I'm trying to save Vulkin! I… I think they're going to fall in the lava!"

"I GOT YOU DUDE!" Brayden yelled. He raced over to the boy. The boy was holding onto Vulkin, fear in his eyes. Brayden wrinkled his nose. That monster almost killed him with a lava tsunami. The boy gave Brayden a look of desperation. The boy had somewhat dark skin, dark, messy hair, and green eyes. He was wearing a white sweater with green stripes. A stained apron with a heart on the chest was covering this sweater. He was also wearing brown pants and black shoes.

"Uh…!" the boy squeaked. Brayden glared at the Vulkin.

"Just let it die." Chara grumbled.

"No!" the boy squeaked. Brayden glared at Chara. They reminded him of those bullies at his school. He growled. He helped the boy save the Vulkin. The boy cheered and wrapped the monster in a big hug. Then he pulled Brayden into the hug. Vulkin and the boy were having the time of their lives. Brayden wasn't. He stepped away, covering his head.

"Thank you!" the boy grinned at Brayden.

"Yeah, I'm awesome." Brayden smirked, flexing. Chara rolled their eyes. They cleared their throat and walked over to the boy.

"Greetings," they said. "I'm Chara." They pointed at Faye, Brayden, Melody, Percy and Frisk. "This is Quiet, Stupid, Annoying, Smart and Unbearable." The other humans glared at Chara. Aside from Percy and Faye.

"That's not very nice," the boy said, folding his arms. Vulkin hid behind his legs and nodded in agreement.

"Why does everyone care about me being nice?" Chara growled. "It does not matter!" They stormed off angrily.

"Oh," the boy frowned. "S-sorry, Chara! I didn't mean to upset you!"

"Don't worry about them, Chara is always like that," Frisk said, smirking. "What's your name, sugar plum?" They winked.

"I'm Cody," the boy answered, smiling. Frisk shook his hand.

"Another boy…" Melody groaned. "Fantastic."

...

Humanssuck201X: Melody Stop Being Sexist You Are More Annoying Than All The Boys Combined And That's Saying Something Considering Brayden's Lack Of Common Sense

👍SUPERMAN👍: OH ROASTED LIKE KFC CHICKEN! HEY WAIT I'M NOT DUMB!

~MelodyTrust~: And you are more annoying than any child I've ever met, Chara.

👍SUPERMAN👍: OH SNAPPED LIKE… A SESAME-SEED BAR! YEAH THAT'S THE STUFF!

...

"Anyway," Frisk spoke up over the kids texting each other. "Nice to meet you, Cody. We're on a mission to save Chara's best friend. Wanna come with?"

"Sure!" Cody said, grinning. "Can Vulkin come too?" The Vulkin stared at Frisk with beady eyes.

"Yes, they can." Melody said, nodding at Cody. "I'm the leader, by the way."

"Thanks," Cody replied. He grinned. "It's so nice to meet you all. I can't believe so many people jumped down Mt. Ebott…" He frowned. Then he brightened up. "Um! Anyway. We had better go, right?"

Frisk nodded.

...

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: welcome cody to team save asriel! next stop: puzzles! :D

Ilovecooking6: Wow thanks frisk! And thanks for the phone too hee hee!

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: you're welcome cody! ;)

Humanssuck201X: I Did Not Give Him Permission To Join Us

~MelodyTrust~: Who's the leader here?

Humanssuck201X: I Hate These People

* * *

After passing some lasers, the kids stumbled across their first puzzle. Alphys called to explain the puzzle. There, she got to meet Cody, who Chara wanted nothing to do with. Cody felt awful about it. Chara seemed to hate him.

"They don't hate you," Frisk told Cody, giving him a friendly smile. "They're just going through some troubles in their life. Don't worry about them! The only thing you need to worry is about not dying!" They said that very cheerfully.

"Uh… okay…!" Cody replied, smiling back. He shivered. He liked Frisk a lot so far, but they were… a little weird.

...

~MelodyTrust~: Okay guys, Frisk said we should split up to do the puzzles. It would be easier they said.

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: yeah! these puzzles aren't too hard. percy can go with brayden, melody and faye and i'll go with chara and cody! :D

Humanssuck201X: Do I Have To Go With Those Two

~MelodyTrust~: Honestly I'd rather avoid going with Brayden.

👍SUPERMAN👍: HEYYY!

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: :/

...

In the end, the kids just went with their respective groups. Chara refused to talk to Cody or Frisk. Frisk went into the puzzle room to solve the puzzle. Cody patted Vulkin's side. He eyed Chara.

"I'm sorry, Chara," he said. "You must be really upset… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"You seem very genuine about that apology, don't you?" Chara asked. They made a face. "Well, it's what I'd expect from a soul of kindness."

"... Kindness?" Cody asked.

"That's your SOUL trait," Chara answered. They folded their arms. "Your green soul." They looked away, their head down. "I always thought kindness was such a useless soul trait. Who needs kindness when you have perseverance, bravery, justice?" They paused. "But then I met Asriel."

"Is that your best friend?" Cody asked, eyeing Chara with a small frown. He didn't really like being called 'useless'.

"Yes," Chara replied, looking at him. They had a sad smile on their face. "He was a lot like you, Cody."

* * *

"Hey!" Alphys called the kids. "About the puzzles on the left and right-"

"Solved 'em!" Brayden yelled.

"... uhhhh, you already solved them?" Alphys asked. She sounded nervous. "Awesome!" She hung up.

"I feel so bad for Alphys," Cody said, frowning. "She always sounds so scared!"

"Eh, she's fine," Frisk told him, waving their hand. "Come on! You like cooking, don't you? There's plenty of cooking up here!" They jumped on a few vents. Cody followed them, his apron blowing up. He was thankful he wasn't wearing a dress. That would've been embarrassing.

The kids arrived in a completely dark room with modern flooring.

"I can't see anything!" Brayden complained. He crashed into Melody. She shrieked.

Alphys rung. "H-hey, it's kind of dark in there, isn't it? Don't worry! I'll hack into the light system and brighten it up!" It was revealed the kids were in a kitchen. Cody gasped with delight. Alphys didn't sound so happy.

"Oh no." she said.

"OHH YESS! WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!" Mettaton cried, appearing out of nowhere. He was wearing a chef's hat. Cody remembered him. When he first arrived, he was almost pulled into one of Mettaton's horrible shows. If it wasn't for some random girl, he would've been toast. He wondered where that girl went. She had disappeared, chasing after a bunch of monsters and calling them 'vermin'. Cody hoped to find her again. She was cool.

Mettaton continued explaining the show. It all sounded good so far. Even though Cody noticed the seven-layer cake Mettaton wanted to bake was missing some vital ingredients such as flour. And, apparently, another ingredient. Cody hoped it was flour. It wasn't.

It was seven human souls.

Mettaton approached the kids with a chainsaw. Chara squealed and hid behind Frisk. Cody held out his fry-pan. Brayden held up his fists, standing in front of Faye. Percy covered his face with his notebook. Melody frowned, staying near Frisk. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was Alphys.

"HELLO…?" Mettaton asked irritably. "I'M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE."

"W-wait a second!" Alphys squeaked. "Couldn't you make a…. Couldn't you use a…"

"Substitution?" Frisk suggested.

"That's it!" Alphys said. "Couldn't you make a substitution in the recipe?"

"... A SUBSTITUTION?" Mettaton asked. "YOU MEAN, USE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT?" He paused. "... WHY?"

"Uhh, what if someone's…" Alphys paused.

"Vegan?" Frisk suggested.

"Yeah!" Alphys agreed. "That!" She mumbled, "(Jeez that kid is smart…)"

"VEGAN…" Mettaton paused. He suddenly sounded very cheerful. "THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS! ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE! MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT-HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOURED-SUBSTITUTE!"

"That's a thing?" Melody asked, wrinkling her nose.

"A CAN OF WHICH…" Mettaton pointed at a counter. "IS JUST OVER ON THAT COUNTER!" He waved. "WELL, DARLINGS? WHY DON'T YOU GO GET IT?"

"I bet you my secret stash of peanut butter cups that can is booby-trapped." Chara said, eyeing the counter.

"Hee hee, booby." Brayden giggled. Melody rolled her eyes.

Chara suddenly looked nervous. "Forget I said anything about secret stashes of peanut butter cups."

Frisk, giggling, walked over to the counter. Their friends were behind them. They knew what was going to happen next. Yet they weren't scared. They were excited! Mettaton's shows were obnoxious, but they were so much fun. It's a shame they were all make-believe.

Like Frisk was expecting, the can was launched high into the sky, riding on the counter, which had become similar to a ladder. The kids were forced to ride jetpacks that were somehow in their phones to get the can. Frisk didn't question it. Alphys had a way with technology. Frisk still wasn't scared, though. Despite the fact that the kids had a time limit to get the can (or Mettaton would revert to the 'original plan'), Frisk could still put a smile on their face. They were happy to be here. They were happy to be apart of this fake show, because it wasn't real. The pain, the death, it wasn't real.

Just like Frisk.

"Frisk!" Chara grumbled. "Quit your daydreaming and help us!"

"You got it, Chara!" Frisk replied brightly like nothing had ever crossed their mind in the first place. "We're gonna do some flying, guys!" They opened up their jetpack and took off.

"I WANTED TO GO FIRST!" Brayden whined. He flew after them, Melody holding onto his arm and yelling protests. Percy emotionlessly took off, leaving behind Faye, Chara and Cody.

"Well good gracious." Chara said, rolling their eyes. They made a face. "When it comes down to it, I will throw my knife into Mettaton's buttons."

"So… like, pushing his buttons?" Faye asked, smirking.

Chara nodded. "Quite literally." They took off, chasing the others, who were being covered in milk, sugar, eggs. Cody made a face.

"If you're gonna make a cake, make it right!" he said that like a battle cry. He gently grabbed Faye's arm and took off. They avoided the ingredients raining down from above. Well, for the most part. Cody got some milk in his hair. Faye was covered in egg shells. It wasn't as bad as Melody and Brayden, who kept fighting and getting covered in ingredients. Frisk was avoiding everything. They were eyeing the top. Chara was complaining about everything and Percy didn't really care about anything.

Frisk reached the top and eyed the can. Mettaton stopped throwing ingredients at everyone.

"MY MY," he proclaimed. "IT SEEMS YOU'VE BESTED ME." He paused. "BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS. OH, I LOATHE TO THINK OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU WITHOUT HER! WELL, TOODLES!" He flew off.

"What about the substitute…?" Faye asked. Somehow she'd managed to reach the top very quickly. Brayden and Melody were still clinging onto each other. Cody eyed Percy and Chara. At least they were fine.

Mettaton returned. "OH YES! ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTION… HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN A COOKING SHOW BEFORE? I ALREADY BAKED THE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME! SO FORGET IT!" He left. For good this time. Well, not actually, but at least for a little while. The kids returned to the ground. Alphys rung again.

"Wow…" she breathed. "We… we did it! We… we really did it! Great job out there, team!"

"Go Team: Save Asriel!" Frisk cheered. They high-fived everyone aside from Chara (who utterly refused) and Percy who didn't like physical contact. Frisk high-fived the phone as well, calling Alphys a 'special member'. The yellow lizard monster blushed.

"Aww…" she said, smiling. She cleared her throat. "W-well, uh, anyway, let's keep heading forward!" She hung up. With that, the kids continued. They passed the CORE. Percy adjusted his glasses.

...

 _OtakuBoy posted a picture!_ It was a picture of the CORE.

OtakuBoy: I find this ominous structure truly fascinating.

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: that's the core! it powers the whole underground by converting geothermal energy into magical electricity! cool right?! :D

OtakuBoy: How exactly does it do that?

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: i… actually don't know how, believe it or not. :/ it's just a pretty weird big machine thingy that makes electricity for monsters. :P

Humanssuck201X: You Dorks You Are Right Next To Each Other

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: speak for yourself chara! and change your username! :d

Humanssuck201X: Not Until You Change Yours

mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk: you know what?! fine! i will! someone has to! :P

 _mynameisnotcharaitsfrisk changed their username to friskisasexybab!_

Humanssuck201X: That Is Even Worse

friskisasexybab: well too bad chara! now change your username! :d

Humanssuck201X: I Promise On My Secret Stash Of Chocolate Bars I Will Change My Username If You Change Yours To Something Appropriate

Humanssuck201X: Also Forget I Said Anything About Secret Stashes Of Chocolate Bars

friskisasexybab: fine! :/

 _friskisasexybab changed their username to friskyfrisklovesticks!_

Humanssuck201X: Still Awful But It's Better Than That Last One

 _Humanssuck201X changed their username to Frisksucks201X!_

friskyfrisklovesticks: chara! you need to be appropriate as well! :p

Frisksucks201X: Fine

 _Frisksucks changed their username to ChocolateLover201X!_

friskyfrisklovesticks: thank you! :P

imfayedingaway: um you guys realize youre taking up half the chapter right

...

"Oops." Frisk turned off their phone, blushing. "But guys! This is important. In the CORE is the elevator to ASGORE's castle. And from there…" They turned to Chara. "That's where we can save Asriel."

* * *

The kids took the Hotland elevator to another part of Hotland. There, they found Sans selling hot dogs and hot cats. Frisk put a bunch of them on their head and posted a selfie on the Undernet. Oh wow. Hectic. I think we'll take a break from the social media for a little bit.

Just kidding. Both Alphys and Papyrus posted pictures. Brayden posted a selfie of him flexing.

...

~MelodyTrust~: Oh good grief…

ChocolateLover201X: We Need A Break Quite Frankly

~MelodyTrust~: Chara is right. From now on, no one touch their phones unless you have to!

OtakuBoy: But the internet gives me the will to live…

ponystoriesandothers: Ditto.

ChocolateLover201X: Oh No It's You

ChocolateLover201X: I Will Not Permit This

 _ponystoriesandothers was kicked from the server!_

~MelodyTrust~: For goodness' sake Percy…

...

The kids stumbled across a puzzle that had to do with fun things such as vents. Luckily Frisk already knew the solution. Alphys would've helped, but she felt bad about making a mistake. Cody felt bad about Alphys feeling bad. Then he felt bad about him feeling bad about Alphys feeling bad. Then he felt bad about him feeling bad about feeling bad about- I should stop now or we'll be here all day.

For the moment, he jumped across the vents, following his new friends. He liked all of them. Even Chara. Chara, somewhere, seemed to have a 'softer' side. Even if they wouldn't show it upfront.

Some people who did show their 'softer' side however were two super gay guards. They attacked all the children at once, and continuously blushed at each other. Frisk wiggled their eyebrows.

"I know how to handle this," they told the other humans. They started cleaning RG 02's armour. They looked over their shoulder. "Someone tell RG 01 to be honest with his feelings!"

"I'm on it!" Cody replied. He walked up to the royal guard and whispered, "Be honest with your feelings." He said this as kindly as he could. RG 01 blushed. Meanwhile, Melody had a lightbulb moment. She knew exactly what she had to do after the battle finished.

"Can't… take it…" RG 02 groaned. "... armor… too HOT!" He removed his armour, revealing his... abs... I guess? RG 01 started blushing.

"I WANT ABS LIKE THOSE, BABY!" Brayden yelled.

"I doubt you could ever acheive them." Chara mumbled. Brayden glared at them.

Frisk raced over to Cody and whispered in his ear, "Tell RG 01 to be honest with his feelings again, Cody!"

"You have to be honest with your feelings!" Cody told RG 01. RG 01 kept blushing.

"I…" he began. "I… d-dude… I can't… I can't take this anymore! Not like this!" He eyed RG 02. "Like, 02! I like, LIKE you, bro!" He rambled on about his feelings.

Chara really didn't care. They got caught in another dream. Asriel was so close...

 _Chara! This is all just a bad dream! Please, wake up!_

 _Chara! You are the future of humans and monsters… you must stay determined!_

 _"Some nightmares don't end, Chara," Frisk's voice. It didn't sound cheerful at all. It sounded like they'd committed too many genocide runs. " **Like mine.** " Frisk held out a knife. They raised it above Chara's head…_

"Chara!" Cody was eyeing Chara, the Vulkin nudging Chara's leg. The battle was over. Chara was standing completely still, covering their face. Sweat was pouring down their cheeks.

"I'm fine," they grumbled. They were blushing more than usual. They looked at Frisk, who was doing a happy dance. "What's happening?"

"I'm not the leader anymore," Melody replied. Chara felt like doing a happy dance themself. Then they realized something.

"Who is, then?" they asked.

"Me!" Frisk said, giving Chara a smirk. Chara suddenly felt like jumping in the lava. Frisk was right. Some nightmares never ended after all.

* * *

 **;)**

friskyfrisklovesticks: you're dumb!

ChocolateLover201X: You're Dumb

ChocolateLover201X: Jinx

imfayedingaway: jinx198 ;)

ChocolateLover201X: Faye No

ponystoriesandothers: Saucy. ;)

ChocolateLover201X: Go Back To Your Trashcan Idiot

ponystoriesandothers: Rude. :/

 _ponystoriesandothers was kicked from the server! (Again...)_

* * *

 **A/N: fite me jinx198 1v1 me i will rek you scrub**

 **Nah kidding. Have some free memes and fortune cookies. ;)**

 **But in all seriousness everyone... I really don't want to have to discontinue, so there might be a hiatus. I've already put a bit of a hiatus for Grouptale on my DeviantART. We'll see how it goes. :(**


	10. Muffet

**A/N: So, life update, my depression was getting worse but I'm getting a bit of treatment now. Doesn't mean it will help though. :/ At the moment I kind of feel better about all of this? I still like writing and I do love Grouptale quite a lot. :P**

 **I figured I may as well upload this chapter, especially since there's a great scene at the end. :) L8ter sk8ters!**

* * *

Chara really wanted this Mettaton nonsense to end. Unfortunately, it didn't.

The kids were pulled into some pointless news report that was of course run by that annoying robot. He was wearing a fancy tuxedo, sitting at a desk. The kids were standing behind a news-style screen. Chara groaned. Alphys seemed annoyed too. That was one rare time Chara could sympathise with the lizard.

"OHHH YESS!" Mettaton exclaimed. "GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS!"

"And we would like to leave now." Chara grumbled, making a face. Frisk smacked their arm.

"AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND!" the robot continued. "FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENTS ARE OUT THERE NOW, REPORTING LIVE!"

"You won't be 'live' for much longer." Chara growled. Their face was hidden by Sans' jacket. They hated being on TV. It made them feel so… self-conscious. They told Frisk, "You love this public speaking nonsense, do you not, Frisk? Tell the entire Underground we are not here for games, we are SAVING Asriel."

"Why can't you do it?" Brayden asked Chara, staring at them.

"It is none of your business." Chara growled, feeling even more self-concious. They bonked Frisk's arm. "Speak, imbecile!"

"Call me that and _you'll_ be the one speaking," Frisk grumbled, folding their arms with a dark look on their face. They were about to say something, but Mettaton's rambling interrupted them. Chara glared at Frisk, signalling them to speak anyway. They didn't.

"Ooh, it's a puppy…" Faye said, eyeing a small white dog. Brayden was looking at it, trying not to make a kawaii face. Melody stepped between Frisk and Chara, giving the both of them the stink-eye. Chara attempted to push Frisk. Cody intervened, blocking Chara from hurting Frisk. Percy stood there and took notes.

"ATTENTION, VIEWERS!" Mettaton spoke above them all. "OUR CORRESPONDENTS HAVE FOUND… A DOG! (CUE AUDIENCE AWWS)"

Percy sneezed into his elbow. He wiped his nose. "Death."

Definitely an audience 'aww'.

"THAT'S RIGHT, FOLKS!" Mettaton exclaimed. "IT'S THE FEEL-GOOD STORY OF THE YEAR! LOOK AT ITS LITTLE EARS, TINY PAWS, FLUFFY TAIL…"

"It is the stupidest dog I have ever seen." Chara grumbled.

"And I prefer cats." Melody commented, folding her arms.

"WHAT?!" Brayden exclaimed, eyeing her. "HOW SO?!"

"Dogs are messy, just like you." Melody replied, cocking an eyebrow. **[A/N: So many people are roasting Brayden good gravy...]**

"WAIT A SECOND," Mettaton spoke up. "THAT'S NOT A TAIL! THAT'S… A FUSE!" The dog's tail lit up. Brayden gasped and clung onto Faye. He blushed a few seconds afterwards and let go. "THAT'S RIGHT… THAT DOG… IS A BOMB!"

"Good, it means I can explode myself." Chara muttered. Frisk smacked the back of their head.

"YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!" Mettaton exclaimed. The screen was destroyed, revealing a bunch of other random items. "IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB!"

"Exploding myself will not be hard then." Chara commented. Frisk smacked the back of their head again. Mettaton continued explaining the bombs. The kids had to defuse all of the bombs, otherwise the big pink bomb would explode. Chara didn't see that as a problem. Frisk smacked their head for a third time. Thankfully, Alphys had the kids covered. Their phones were installed with a bomb-defusing program, which is a totally normal program for phones.

"Okay!" Frisk said cheerfully, facing the others. "Faye, go down and left. Brayden, you catch that flying glass of water. Melody, down and right. Perce, Cody, you guys head up to the top. Chara, you come with me."

They waved their arm in their air. "All for one and one for all! Let's go Team Save Asriel!" They grabbed Chara's arm and ran off.

"I'm glad I made them leader," Melody said, smiling. "They have some great quotes!"

"The Three Musketeers," Percy recognized. "Yes, they do."

Brayden ran around, trying to catch a flying glass of water. He had never hated a glass of water as much as he did today. It ended up flying into his face. Brayden wanted to smash that stupid glass of water. But he knew he had to focus. He opened his phone and focused on that glass of water, which was flying with agility around his face. With some effort, he managed to defuse it. He fist-pumped the air, cheering about his victory.

Faye walked up to an edgy-looking game-bomb, holding out her phone. The bomb was very hard to defuse, she found. But somehow, she managed it. Meanwhile, Melody was defusing a script bomb on an escalator. She was getting very frustrated about it, since she kept missing the bomb. She took a deep breath. She needed to focus on that awful script. Finally, she managed to catch it and defuse it. She cheered in glee.

Cody caught the bouncing basketball bomb (damn that alliteration). It kept bouncing around as he tried to defuse it. He wiped his brow. It was so hot here. But somehow, he managed to defuse it. Percy, meanwhile, was trying to defuse the present bomb. It was really annoying him. It was going too fast for him to comprehend. In the end, Cody managed to defuse it for him. Percy was thankful for that.

"Go on, Chara," Frisk nudged Chara's arm. "Pet it."

"No." Chara refused, turning away. Frisk grabbed Chara's arm. Chara glared at Frisk with all the hate they had ever felt. "Let go or I will throw you off the edge of this platform."

"I'll throw _you_ off the edge of this platform, Chara," Frisk replied darkly, their eyes not visible. "Don't underestimate me."

Chara scanned Frisk for a moment. Genocide memories played through their head. Their arms started shaking.

"You win." Chara replied, looking away. They kneeled down and patted the dog. It was fluffy, they had to admit. Even though it snored very loudly. Frisk went back to their cheerful self.

"See? That wasn't so bad!" they said brightly.

"Right, of course." Chara replied with no emotion. The kids had defused all the bombs, but the whole thing was a troll. The big pink bomb was going to explode anyway. Cody felt emotional. Unlike Chara, he didn't want to explode. And he didn't want to loose his new friends either. But then suddenly the bomb wasn't going off, because Alphys has sick hacking skills.

"While you were monologuing, Mettaton… I… I…!" Alphys said, her voice echoing from the phone. "I… I f… I fix… um… I ch-change…"

"You deactivated the bomb with your hacking skills." Frisk finished.

"Yeah!" Alphys said, relieved. "That's what I did!"

Mettaton ranted about how he had lost again, then he left. The kids were rather relieved.

"Great job, guys!" Frisk cheered, jumping for joy. "Team Save Asriel forever!" They looked at their phone. "Oh! Did you want to say something, Alphys?"

"Uh…" Alphys sounded nervous. "Well… just a little…" She paused. "I know I was kind of weird at first… but I really think I'm getting more… uh, more…"

"Confident?" Frisk suggested.

"Yeah!" Alphys agreed. "(You really know everything, don't you?)"

"Yep!" Frisk agreed brightly. Alphys blushed on the other side of the phone. The others stared at Frisk.

Frisk gestured with their hand, grinning at the phone. "Go on, Alph."

"Well, I feel… m-more confident about guiding you all…" Alphys continued. "S-so don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot… I-I'll protect you from him!"

"Aww!" Cody blushed. "I'd give you a hug if you were here!"

Chara rolled their eyes.

"A-and if it really came down to it, we could just t-turn…" Alphys hesitated. "Um, nevermind. Later!" She hung up.

"You're so nice, Cody," Melody said, eyeing Cody. She frowned. "I wish Chara could be more like you."

"Oh bother off." Chara growled, grumpily walking away. Their head was down. Cody felt bad for them again.

"Ah, don't mind 'em!" Frisk cheered. "We're still Team Save Asriel!"

"Wait, who's Asriel again?" Brayden asked, looking confused. Chara could be heard groaning from a mile away.

* * *

Chara was eyeing the CORE, thinking about their fri- accomplices. They felt a tug on their heart strings. When the time to save Asriel did come, would they be able to bring the others? Would someone have to die?

 _No, stop,_ Chara commanded themself. _Frisk said no one had to die in this timeline. Asriel can be saved without sacrifice. We will get a happy ending!_

Chara observed themself again. Their breathing picked up. They only had so much time to SAVE Asriel…

Chara grimaced. If it really came down to it, maybe someone would have to die after all.

"Chara?" Cody approached Chara. They jumped and turned around. Why did people have to sneak up on them?

"What do you want?" they asked angrily.

"Sorry, Chara," Cody apologized. "I just wanted to know if you were okay."

"Considerate, but the gesture is unneeded." Chara responded, turning away. They tried not to cry. Cody reminded them of Asriel far too much. They didn't want this. The other kids came over. Frisk was in the lead, giving Chara the stink-eye. Chara ignored it.

"Okay," Frisk spoke up, grinning at their friends. "This is the plan! So, Alph called, lovely monster as you guys know, she told us not to worry. And we shouldn't!" They frowned. "Mostly."

They smiled again. "Ahead we're gonna be fighting a spider lady called Muffet! But before you freak out, don't worry, because I came prepared!" They held out seven donuts. "Easy-peasey! This'll get us past her without breaking a sweat!"

"Frisk…" Chara spoke up. "When you bought those donuts back in… the RUINS… there were only two of us, were there not? And, quite frankly, neither of us were expecting to meet five other children on this journey. So how did you-"

"Uh, anyway!" Frisk interrupted brightly, their body twitching. Chara still looked suspicious. Percy curiously took some notes. "Before all that, there's another puzzle like the one we saw before, the one with the rooms to the north and south and stuff. That won't be hard. And _after_ we beat Muffet, there's another Mettaton show! My personal favourite." They clapped. Chara rolled their eyes.

"Do we get to fight some people on that show!?" Brayden asked, looking eager.

"Wellllll," Frisk tilted their head from side to side. "Remember that puzzle back in Snowdin that broke? The one with all the colourful tiles? It's got to do with that."

Brayden looked disappointed.

"Snowdin…" Percy looked thoughtful. "I remember going through there. I am still confuzzled over how snow is underground."

"Aboustelllyyyy!" Frisk said brightly, almost dancing around. "Any-wa-hey! After that, there's a hotel we can stay at. Then the CORE, which will be…" They made a face. "A little tricky to pass through. But then! We get to actually FIGHT Mettaton! Cool, right?"

"YEAH!" Brayden cheered, fist-pumping the air.

"Uh, no." Melody grumbled, folding her arms.

"Do we have to fight?" Cody asked anxiously.

"Yep!" Frisk chirped. "B-b-b-but! We don't have to actually hurt anyone. After we finish fighting Mettaton, we take an elevator to the King's castle."

They paused. "And that's where we'll save Asriel."

* * *

The kids passed Muffet's insanely expensive bakery. They got their first glance of the spider monster, and Percy had to admit she wasn't exactly beautiful. And she was definitely some kind of scammer. Thank goodness he and his friends avoided her.

Like Frisk said, there were puzzles to solve. Brayden still didn't like puzzles. He found them so painfully mundane. Luckily Frisk knew exactly what to do. Brayden was still stunned by how much they knew about everything. He didn't quite understand Frisk and Chara being from different timelines, so he just assumed they were really smart kids. He hung around Faye, who hadn't spoken for a while. Brayden still liked being around her for some reason. It made him... feel good...?

She was following Percy, who was having a geeky conversation with Alphys over the phone about some silly show called 'Mew Mew Kissy Cutie'.

"Hey, Faye," Brayden said, grinning at Faye. "Aren't you excited to go home?!"

"I thought we were saving Asriel…" Faye replied.

"WELL WE'RE GOING HOME AS WELL!" Brayden cheered, putting his arm around her shoulders. Faye blushed. "When we get home, you've gotta come over to my place. I can show you my house!"

"I don't know if my aunt would like that," Faye replied, making a face.

"Ehh she would," Brayden grinned. He flexed. "EVERYONE LIKES ME!"

"No they don't." Melody told him, walking over. "I'm pretty sure some people find you very annoying."

"People find _you_ annoying, Melody!" Brayden growled in response.

"MELODY!" Frisk growled, storming out of the puzzle room. They and Percy looked very disappointed. "You ruined the Fayeden moment!"

"Fayeden…?" Melody asked. "What on Earth is…" She realized, and almost smirked. "Oh."

"What?!" Brayden asked. He made a face. "Fayeden?! That's NOT how you say my name!"

"It's how you say your ship name." Percy said, almost smirking.

"What the heck is a ship name?" Brayden asked, confused. The other kids eyed each other. Faye was blushing quite a lot.

"Are you idiots finished the puzzle yet?" Chara aggressively asked the others, their arms folded. They had come over with Cody. "Because in case you didn't know, we have to get a move on."

"Do you ship Fayeden, Chara?" Frisk asked Chara.

"What on Earth is 'Fayeden'?" Chara asked. They made a face. "Wait, do not tell me. I do not care." They turned away. Frisk sighed. But they found they weren't surprised. Chara would never be happy. **[A/N: Just like me… uh bye-]**

* * *

The kids approached a creepy-looking purple building covered in spider webs. Percy was trembling.

"The cobwebs are blocking my reception," he said. He looked up, his voice empty of any emotion. "How will I cope without wifi?"

"Thank goodness," Chara sounded relieved. "I do not have to read anymore of your stupid anime-related status updates."

"Chara!" Frisk grumbled.

"Achoo!" Brayden sneezed, fanning away a spider web.

"Bless you," Melody said, eyeing him. She crossed her arms. "And sneeze into your elbow next time!"

"ACK!" Brayden stomped the ground. "I HATE SPIDERS! THEY MAKE MY NOSE ITCHY!" He sneezed again, but not into his elbow.

"Your elbow, Brayden!" Melody groaned.

"I think spiders are cute…" Faye commented. She approached the door, feeling a little anxious. Frisk appeared behind her, patting her shoulder.

"Well you're lucky, cutie," they replied, winking. "'Cause we're gonna be meeting a lot of spiders!"

The kids finally started walking through the strange webbed building. Spiders whispered messages above them, quite obviously freaking them out. Chara clung onto Frisk.

"I heard that they hate spiders…" a voice whispered.

"But I don't…" Faye sighed.

"I find them a little creepy but I don't hate them, I promise!" Cody whimpered. Brayden kept sneezing every ten seconds. He seemed to really be annoying Melody. She covered his mouth with her hand. He glared at her. Percy, meanwhile, was taking notes. He didn't like this place too much. He hoped learning about it would make him like it… a little more.

The kids walked through a pile of sticky webs. The webs trapped them, making them unable to move from their positions. Chara made a face. They did not want to be stuck. They had a best friend to save.

"You think your tastes are too refined for our pastries, don't you, dearies?" Muffet herself greeted the children, hanging down from the ceiling.

"I DON'T EAT SPIDERS!" Brayden yelled. "AND ALSO YOU MAKE YOUR STUFF WAY TOO, LIKE, EXPENSIVE!"

"I'll say it now," Cody took a deep breath. "I think my pastries are better than yours!"

"Oh really, deary?" Muffet asked, eyeing him. "What makes you say that?"

"Because I'm not…" Cody paused. He remembered the word. For once, he felt he could speak up. For the sake of his friends. "Because I'm not a… I'm not a freaking CANNIBAL!"

"Harsh," Chara made a face. They smiled. "Act like that more often, Cody."

"OH CODY!" Brayden yelled, wiping his nose. "Achoo! YOU BAKE HER LIKE BREAD MAN!"

"That's a bit OOC, Cody." Percy commented, looking up from his notes.

Melody and Frisk were staring at each other. Faye wore a pair of sunglasses.

"Yeah!" Cody replied. "T-that's right!" He cleared his throat. "They're bett-"

"Wait, hold on," Frisk spoke up, holding up a hand. They pulled Cody back, then looked at Muffet with a grin. "He's joking, Muffet. He actually LOVES your pastries! WE ALL DO, DON'T WE, GUYS?" They gave the others a creepy, forced smile. They turned back to Muffet. "AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ACTUALLY BOUGHT SOME OF YOUR PASTRIES IN THE RUINS!" They held up the seven spider donuts. Muffet was about to say something, but Frisk continued.

"OH?" they asked spitefully. "DO YOU THINK I'M STEALING? NOPE! THE SPIDERS FROM THE RUINS'VE GOT A TELEGRAM TO SHOW YOU PROOF THAT WE DID INDEED BUY THEM WITH GOLD! WHERE ARE THOSE SPIDERS ANYWAY?" They looked around hastily. "WHERE ARE THEY?"

"Calm down, Frisk," Melody said, pulling Frisk down. They took a deep breath, becoming far less tense. Muffet, with her eight eyes, was giving Frisk a strange glance. Suddenly, a spider scurried along the ground, holding out a piece of paper. Muffet picked it up and read it.

"It is a telegram from the spiders in the RUINS," she said, surprised. Frisk smirked. "They're saying that they saw you, and… you helped donate to their cause! Oh my, this has all been a big misunderstanding~ I thought that you were someone who hated spiders~"

"NOPE!" Frisk spat. "NOT US!" They took a deep breath, calming themself down again.

"The person who asked for those SOULs…" Muffet looked thoughtful. "They must have meant different humans in striped shirts."

"Wait, what?!" Brayden asked, eyeing Frisk. "Person who asked for our SOULS?!"

Frisk made a face. They looked away.

"Sorry for all the trouble~" Muffet giggled. "Ahuhuhu~"

"Sorry for yelling at you…" Cody apologized, bowing his head. "I just felt I had to say something…"

"I'm sorry too." Frisk mumbled, glaring at their hands. "Let's leave, guys."

* * *

friskyfrisklovesticks: welp guys just this mettaton show then we get to the hotel! then we can have a break. :)

ChocolateLover201X: Does It Look Like We Have Time For That

imfayedingaway: aww im tired…

Ilovecooking6: I still feel bad about yelling at muffet…

👍SUPERMAN👍: REALLY?! I THOUGHT THAT WAS AWESOME!

~MelodyTrust~: I didn't, it was so rude.

OtakuBoy: The internet… it has returned to me at last. Hee hee hee.

~MelodyTrust~: Percy dammit…

imfayedingaway: hey guys do you think well meet anymore humans

ChocolateLover201X: I Should Hope Not

Ilovecooking6: I think we will actually because I met a girl here before!

ChocolateLover201X: Fantastic (Sarcasm)

...

The kids passed a poster about some show. They came to a brick tower, on a stage that looked like it was from a TV show.

"The heck is this?!" Brayden asked, looking around. Frisk was smirking.

"OH, THOSE HUMANS…" Mettaton sighed, peeping out from the top of the castle. "COULD IT BE…? MY ONE TRUE LOVE… S?" He came out. He was wearing a blue dress.

"Excuse me." Melody said with a lot of sass, making a face.

"Damn that's hot." Frisk mumbled. This time, Chara hit them behind the head. Mettaton came down the stairs, holding up his dress. Everyone was sort of staring at him in awe.

" _Oh my loves,_ " he sung in a robotic voice. " _Please run away._ "

"(You are not joking)." Chara grumbled.

" _Monster King_ ," Mettaton continued singing. " _Forbids your stay…_ "

"Can we be excused?" Chara asked, folding their arms.

"Why is he wearing a dress?!" Brayden asked, looking confused. "What is GOING ON!?"

"My notebook is already full of questions." Percy mumbled, looking disturbed. Only Frisk was enjoying themself. They kept winking sensually at Mettaton.

" _Humans must… live far apart..._ " Mettaton continued. " _Even if… it breaks my heart…_ " He turned around dramatically and booped Faye's nose. She blushed. " _They'll put you all… in the dungeon… it'll suck… and then you'll die a lot…_ "

"Good." Chara grumbled.

" _Really sad_ ," Mettaton sung. Rose petals came from the ceiling, getting caught in Melody's hair. She groaned. " _You're gonna die._ " He 'sobbed'. " _Cry cry cry… so sad it's happening._ "

"I'm joyful, quite frankly." Chara replied.

"Is the song over yet?!" Brayden asked. Frisk nodded solemnly. Brayden cheered. So did everyone else. Aside from Frisk, who did genuinely like the show.

"SO SAD," Mettaton said, wrapping his arms around the children. "SO SAD THAT YOU ARE ALL GOING TO THE DUNGEON." He held out a remote with a red button. "WELL, TOODLES!" He pushed the button. The kids fell down a hole, landing in front of a puzzle with colourful tiles. The same as the one in Snowdin. Brayden groaned again. He didn't like that puzzle. He hoped it would malfunction again. It didn't. The kids had to do it.

It was absolute chaos by anyone's standards. Even Frisk found the puzzle challenging, and they had done it many times. Everyone kept bumping into each other. Percy kept sneezing because he was somewhat allergic to oranges, and he currently radiated that scent. He felt like he was in some kind of sneezing Hell. Chara tripped onto Faye and they were almost eaten by piranhas. Cody unintentionally learned how to moonwalk. Melody and Brayden unintentionally learned the cha cha. And Frisk smelled like lemons.

Chara, holding Faye, crashed into Brayden and Melody doing the cha-cha. They all fell over. Cody got electrocuted and fell onto the piranhas. He was launched backwards onto Percy, who was trying not to die from his allergies. They waddled backwards and crashed into Frisk. The three held onto each other, twirling around in a little circle, and collided head-on with the others. They fell over, stuck. No one could move. I call this scene, 'scrambled eggs'.

"OOH, I'M SO SORRY," Mettaton apologized, eyeing the kids. It seemed he was trying not to laugh. "LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF TIME! HERE COME THE FLAMES, DARLINGS!" The kids, still being scrambled eggs, couldn't do anything.

"THEY'RE CLOSING IN!" The fire approached the children, getting closer and closer.

"GETTING! CLOSER! OH MY! ANY MINUTE NOW!" The flames sat right around the kids, but didn't touch them.

Mettaton coughed robotically.

"Watch out!" Alphys said, her voice coming from the phones. "I'll…" She eyed the kids, trying not to laugh. "I'll save you! I'm hacking into the firewall right now!"

"Hee hee, firewall." Faye giggled, her face digged into Cody's side. Melody, with Brayden lying across her, groaned.

"OH NO!" Mettaton exclaimed. "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? FOILED AGAIN BY THE GREAT DOCTOR ALPHYS!" There was a pause. "THA-"

"That's right!" Alphys continued. "Come on, Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us… not as long as we work together!"

"Team SAVE Asriel forever!" Frisk cheered, somehow upside down and near Percy's shoes.

"Your puzzle's over…" Alphys said. "Now go home and leave us alone!"

"I'LL BE BACK…" Mettaton declared. He eyed the scrambled eggs. "WHEN THIS HILARIOUS MESS IS UNCLEARED! SO LONG, HUMANS!" He disappeared.

Frisk sighed in relief.

"W-well!" Alphys almost laughed. "That was interesting… you guys had better untangle yourselves."

"You don't say." Melody grumbled.

* * *

"Where are we going, Frisk?" Chara asked. Frisk was taking the kids the wrong way through Hotland. Chara, admittedly, didn't know this part of the Underground as well as Frisk but they could tell they were not going the right way.

"I don't actually know," Frisk replied. "My frisky senses are tingling."

"Are you related to Spiderman?" Percy asked Frisk.

"I wish," Frisk replied dreamily. They went around in a circle. Then backwards. Then another circle.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE WE DOING?!" Brayden asked.

"Following my frisky senses," Frisk responded, making jazz hands.

"I, uh, really don't like this..." Cody commented anxiously.

"Wait, what the heck is that?" Melody asked, turning to the right. There were a bunch of penguins in trash cans milling around.

"Yo dawg," said the one in front, who was wearing a blue hoodie. "I'm livin' it up in 2010."

"(That was eight years ago.)" Percy mumbled.

"What the actual...?" Chara asked. They shook their head. "Frisk, what the hell is this?"

"Bro we're the penguin squad," said that weird leader person. "We're the embodiment of crippling depression. Especially me. I am ultimate depression."

"if you mess with us youre gonna have a bad tom." Sans said, since he's apart of the penguin squad.

"I read hentai in the dark." Percy said, now apart of the penguin squad.

"NYEH HEH HEH!" The Great Papyrus cackled, also in the penguin squad...?

"Why was I born..." Melody sighed. Frisk was wearing a -_- expression. Suddenly they joined the penguin squad as well, putting a trash can over their body.

"Frisk dammit." Chara grumbled. Their eyes widened. "Wait... did you say crippling depression?" They made a face. "That's it. I'm joining the penguin squad too." Chara joined the Penguin Squad.

"We're loosing too many people to the dark side..." Melody mumbled. Suddenly Darth Vadar appeared, Star Wars music booming in the background. "That's not what I meant!"

* * *

 **A/N: And a shout-out to all the authors who are also in the Penguin Squad, including me. Jinx198 is apparently writing a chapter about the Penguin Squad in his Grouptale story so when it's out you should all read it. :P I swear to gosh all these author's notes are going to be about Jinx198... I'm so sorry Jinx. XD**

 **As for the discontinuing/hiatus thing, I want to finish this fic so I won't pause this one but I might pause the original. We'll see how the feather flies. Weird saying. XD**


	11. Justice

**A/N: I wrote this chapter when I was full of angst. That's why it's so short and people are screaming.**

 **Updates will be more recent for this story because I want to finish it before school starts. Don't worry, after this chapter, things will get more exciting. So hold onto your molasses. Wait, don't. I hate molasses. XD**

* * *

The kids were disappointed when they discovered the Nice Cream guy was all out of Nice Cream. They weren't so disappointed when they reached MTT Resort. Finally, they could get a break.

Well, that's a lie, actually. Because when they arrived there, quite a scene was happening.

"Oh!" Cody gasped. His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "It's her!"

Some human girl was pointing a gun at Sans. She was giving him a fierce glare. Sans was staring back at her, one of his eyes lit up. He was holding out a bone.

"Whoa," Chara admired the girl, looking starstruck. "Sick."

"'Sick'?" Percy asked, staring at Chara. "That is completely OOC for you, Chara."

"What?" Chara shook their head. "I didn't mean it like that! I meant to say…!" They paused. "I meant to say…!"

They bit their lip, tilting their head. "What is going on?"

"Huh?" Sans and the girl eyed the children. They put down their weapons. The girl grinned at Cody.

"Howdy, pardner," she greeted him. "You okay?"

"I think…" Cody replied, smiling back. "I made a lot of friends!"

"I am not your friend," Chara grumbled. They eyed the girl. "(But my gosh, I would be friends with her.)"

"Okay, enough!" Melody stepped forward. She stared at the girl. "Who are you and what on Earth is going on?"

"Are you fighting?!" Brayden asked eagerly. He cheered. "SICK! I WANNA SEE SOME ACTION!"

"Howdy to y'all," the girl said, walking over to Melody. The girl had tan skin, brown hair with a red tinge, which was tied back into a low ponytail, and yellow eyes. She was wearing a brown sweater with two yellow stripes. Her pants were also brown, as well as her boots. Upon her head was a cowboy hat. Her voice had that stereotypical cowboy accent.

"I'm Clover." Clover said, shaking Melody's hand. Frisk stepped forward.

"Heya, Clover!" they greeted cheerfully. They shook her hand as well. "I'm Frisk! This is Chara, Faye, Brayden, Melody, Percy and Cody! We're on a mission to save Chara's best friend, Asriel! Wanna come with?"

"For once, I actually want someone to come along," Chara squealed. They stiffened up. "I mean, no, don't come along, it'll annoy me!"

"Mm, yeah sure, Chara." Frisk said, wiggling their brow at Chara. Chara growled.

"Well…" Clover eyed Chara for a moment. She grinned. "I'd love to come along."

She adjusted her hat. "Do y'all know how we're gonna save this 'Asriel'?"

"Yep!" Frisk replied cheerfully. "Welcome aboard Clover!"

Chara was being 'grouchy' as usual. They definitely disagreed with another human coming along. Complete and utter disagreement.

"Welp, break time now!" Frisk said brightly. "Who's excited?"

"NOT ME!" Brayden yelled, who wanted to keep running around.

"Well, too bad, because we're stopping whether you want to or not!" Frisk cheered brightly, giving Brayden a toothy grin. He glowered.

"We haven't asked Clover about why she was fighting Sans…" Faye spoke up quietly.

"doesn't matter kids," Sans chuckled. "you guys keep on talking." He eyed Chara, who was hiding their face with his jacket. "when am i getting my jacket back, kid?"

"Never," Chara mumbled.

"Chara," Frisk folded their arms and glared at Chara. The first human pouted.

"That doesn't matter," Melody scoffed. She took a step towards Clover. "I think we deserve to know what happened."

"how about we discuss it over dinner?" Sans offered. "the mtt resort's got a nice restaurant."

"FOOD!" Brayden cheered, fist-pumping the air.

"... alright." Clover said, giving Sans the stink eye. Frisk stood between her and the skeleton, smiling.

"That's a great idea!" they cheered. "Let's all get some food!"

* * *

"well," Sans eyed the kids sitting around a table. They were inside the restaurant. It was just as fancy as you'd expect. So pretty fancy. "here we are."

"Yep," Clover agreed, her eyes narrowed. Chara was staring at her.

"I would call this a 'social standoff'." Percy said, eyeing his notes.

"I'm hunngggrrrrryyyyyyy," Brayden whined.

"Brayden shush!" Melody grumbled, smacking his arm. He glared at her.

"Guys, come on!" Frisk sighed. They grinned at Cody and Faye. "At least you two are being quiet."

The respective kids blushed and waved.

"jeez you kids are a mess," Sans chuckled. "it's like you'd rather argue with each other than actually do anything."

"Excuse me!" Melody stood up. Frisk pulled her down.

"We'd actually like to hear that story now," they said brightly. "So why don't you go ahead and tell it?" They eyed Clover. "Clover?"

"Well," Clover brushed her forehead. Chara suddenly looked interested. They pretended to not be interested. "That skeleton tried ta fight me."

"Why did you do that, Sans?" Frisk asked. "I thought you had a promise to-" They stopped themself. "Uh, nevermind. Go on!"

"a promise…" Sans eyed Frisk suspiciously. "how did you know about…"

Sans raised his bone-brow. "kid… is there something you're not telling everyone?"

Frisk sweat-beaded.

"Frisk is from another timeline very similar to this one," Percy answered. "They are aware of future events."

"(Thanks, Perce.)" Frisk said, winking at him. Now Chara was suspicious.

"That is true, I will not doubt it, but there is something I find odd," they said, cocking their head. "Frisk… neither of us are used to meeting the fallen humans in the regular timeline, at least alive. And you yourself told me you don't know the fallen humans or anything about this timeline, aside from the fact that we can SAVE Asriel. But… you seem to…" They looked up. "You seem to know-"

"What are you talking about Chara?" Frisk asked like there was nothing wrong. They stood on the table. "I don't know these guys in other timelines!" They pointed at the other humans. "I'm just as new to this as you!"

"Wait, so I know you in another timeline thingy?!" Brayden asked.

"NO!" Frisk answered angrily, standing on the table. They took a deep breath. "I mean, no! Of course not!"

"Then why did you say you did?" Brayden asked. He pulled his hair. "I'M SO CONFUSED!"

"GOOD!" Frisk replied, clenching their fists. "BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ANY OF YOU, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON! I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE! SO. SHUT. UP!"

They realized what they had said. They shrugged. "Oh, oops! Didn't mean to, uh… yell… but I'm being honest! I really don't know anyone here!"

Frisk turned to Sans, sweat-beading. "WELL THAT WENT OFF-TOPIC, DIDN'T IT? HA HA HA! HOW ABOUT YOU TELL US WHY YOU FOUGHT CLOVER, SANS?!"

"I think Frisk is losing their marbles…" Faye mumbled.

"Me too…" Cody replied, making a face.

"well, if youre done screaming and standing on the table…" Sans said. Frisk blushed and slipped onto their seat. "so, as frisk just mentioned, i made a promise with a woman behind a door in snowdin to not harm any fallen humans and watch over 'em. but then this girl," He pointed at Clover. "she kept chasing monsters around and doing a lot of crazy stuff. i wasnt gonna kill her. i was just gonna slow her down a bit."

"Why on Earth were you chasing monsters around?" Melody asked Clover.

" _They_ were doin' a lot of 'crazy stuff'," Clover answered, frowning. "Like, tryna kill me, y'know?"

"You were harming them?" Chara asked, looking up.

"I did what I had to." Clover responded, eyeing her gun.

"You're disgusting." Chara responded, suddenly scowling.

"Excuse me?" Clover asked, glaring at Chara.

"Excuse YOU!" Chara yelped back. "Do you even care about the civilization of monsterkind? Of course you don't. You're a human."

"That's racist." Percy commented.

"Does it look like I care in the _slightest_?!" Chara grumbled. They got up, a furious look on their face. Their cheeks were flushed. "I hate you all." They stormed off, leaving the building.

"welp," Sans raised his bone-brow. "thats that, i guess."

"They'll get over it." Frisk said reassuringly, smiling.

...

 _ChocolateLover201X changed their username to EVERYTHINGCANBURNINHELL(201X)!_

...

"Well fantastic!" Frisk cheered, smashing their head on the table. It looked like they wanted to cry. Cody rubbed their shoulder.

"Well this is an absolute mess." Melody grumbled, folding her arms.

"Where's Chara?" Clover asked, standing up. "I'll find 'em."

"And beat the heck outta them?!" Brayden asked, standing up.

"Nah," Clover replied. "But I don't think it'll be pretty."

* * *

Clover sighed. She didn't usually like people like Chara. Ever since... she'd lost her father... she had become very serious about stopping criminals. And they tended to be people like Chara. And monsters, who continuously tried to take her soul.

Cody didn't like the idea of killing monsters, even if they had hurt him.

Despite being different, Clover had got on well with Cody because he too knew what it was like to loose a parent. He'd lost his mother ages ago. Clover had saved Cody's life, and before she chased more monsters, they talked for a little bit. Clover liked that guy. He was nice. He was almost like... family...

Clover frowned, observing her hands. To be fair, she had to give Chara one more chance. To prove that they were not all bad.

Chara was sitting on the bridge outside the MTT resort. They were, unsurprisingly, very angry. The one human they had a cru- admired, and she was hurting monsters.

 _You're such a fool,_ Chara chided themself. _Humans are not worth it. Thank goodness I will see Asriel soon. I cannot stand much more of this stupid journey._

"Howdy," Clover greeted, eyeing Chara.

"Bother off." Chara growled, folding their arms.

"You are not very nice, are ya?" Clover asked, walking over to them. She sat down and gave them the stink eye.

"I said bother off." Chara repeated, looking away.

"I dunno who this Asriel is, but he must really like you to be able to stand you." Clover grumbled.

"People must really like _you_ to be able to stand _you_!" Chara whined. They adjusted Sans' jacket and abruptly stood up. "I will hear no more of this! Goodbye!" They ran down the bridge, headed towards the CORE, muttering cuss words the whole way. Their running was scattered, like they weren't really into it.

"Chara, get back here!" Clover groaned.

"Hey!" Frisk appeared behind Clover. The others were following them. "What's happening?"

"Chara just went into that shiny place." Clover pointed at the 'shiny place', aka the CORE. The entrance glowed blue, pulsing with electricity.

"Oh!" Frisk clapped. A maniac-like grin was on their face. "WELL! That's just perfection! Chara is pretty much screwed! How awesome is that?!"

"The monsters in there must be pretty dangerous then…" Faye said, looking uncomfortable.

"They are, but that's not what I meant!" Frisk said cheerfully. "Chara is screwed because I'm going to kill them for abandoning us all!" They took a step forward. "Let's go Team Kill Chara!"

"Yep, definitely lost their marbles." Melody mumbled.

* * *

Chara was angrier. There was no doubt about it. They stormed through the CORE, eyeing the blue floor. Electricity crackled. Their phone buzzed in their pocket. They ignored it. They didn't care.

Suddenly, a monster approached them. Their heart skipped a beat as a battle initiated. And their phone kept buzzing.

"Madjick pops out of its hat…" Chara mumbled. "This magical mercenary only says magic words."

"Please and thank you." Madjick replied, gazing at Chara. Its eyes shimmered underneath its hat. Chara stepped back. Magic attacks surrounded them.

Chara couldn't move. They were going to…

"CHARA I'LL TURN YOUR INSIDES INTO SPAGHETTI AND EAT IT!" Frisk yelled, running towards Chara.

"That's cannibalism." Percy said, appearing behind Frisk.

"HEY!" Brayden yelled. "IT'S MY JOB TO DO THE BATTLE CRY!"

Clover pulled Chara back before Frisk could turn their insides into spaghetti and eat it. Frisk glared at Chara, giving them threatening gestures. Faye patted their shoulder. She knew she had to calm them down.

"You're in a lot of trouble, Chara." Melody told the First Human, her arms folded. Chara pouted.

"CHARA I'M GONNA BEAT THE CRAP OUTTA YOU WHEN FRISK MAKES YOU INTO SPAGHETTI!" Brayden growled, stepping towards Chara. Clover kept pulling Chara back.

"Guys, please, don't fight!" Cody said. He eyed Chara. "You… were just upset, right Chara?"

"I just want to save Asriel," Chara grumbled. They glared at the others. "But everyone keeps getting in my way!"

"I know, Chara," Frisk replied, suddenly not a psycho anymore. "We'll save ASRIEL. And we'll do it together! There's nothing to worry about or be sad about or cry about or look down about or-"

"WE GET IT!" Brayden interrupted.

Frisk cleared their throat. "So! Let's go through the CORE! FOR TEAM SAVE ASRIEL!"

Madjick had left since this scene was getting too awkward. So Frisk skipped ahead like they were apart of the Wizard of OZ.

"I have no idea what's going on." Percy said emotionlessly.

"Neither do I, Percy," Melody sighed. "Neither do I."

* * *

"Oh my god!" Alphys phoned the kids. "I was trying to phone Chara because they were running away and then you guys were following and it was all going to mess and I-"

"Chill out bro." Brayden said, waving his hands.

"(Who the heck is this?)" Clover asked, looking confused. "(I don't remember her…)"

"(Dr. Alphys, Royal Scientist)," Chara responded. They were standing next to Clover, hugging themself. They wished they hadn't run off. They could have had a break back at the MTT hotel. But then Asriel…

Alphys took a deep breath. "Alright. It's going to be fine." She saw the kids approach a bridge with a lot of lasers. She took another deep breath. "Looks like you can't proceed until you hit the next switch. B-but-"

"The lasers will come in the wrong order that you say," Frisk told Alphys. "Trust me, I know."

"W-what?" Alphys sounded shocked. Then sad. "Then what do I…?"

"What Frisk is saying is that you are useless," Chara replied. Alphys gasped.

"No it's not!" Frisk argued, folding their arms.

"Oh please," Chara snorted. "We have been getting no guidance from her. Frisk, you are the one that has been giving us guidance. So by calling us, she is wasting everyone's time."

"Wasting your time…?" Alphys asked, sounding… really hurt.

"Uh, Chara!" Cody said, sounding worried.

"You're being a little mean." Melody said, folding her arms.

"Besides, it's not true!" Frisk said, pouting. "Alphys is part of Team SAVE Asriel, just like the rest of us!"

"No, she is not," Chara replied, looking down. "Forget it."

"Chara!" Frisk argued. Chara hung up on Alphys, glaring at the lasers ahead.

"Well that was rude." Melody said, giving Chara the stink-eye.

"I don't care." Chara replied, their hair covering their face.

"You're really not very nice." Clover commented, raising her brow.

"No." Chara turned around and smiled. "I'm really not."

* * *

The kids passed a few more lasers. Every time a monster approached them, Chara hid behind Frisk. Brayden found this hilarious. Chara didn't. They got more and more cranky and impatient as time went on. Everyone was finding them a little irritating. Including the monsters.

When it came to the hard bosses, Chara was even more temperamental. Everyone was still annoyed. Frisk groaned. Chara was going to be a nightmare during the Mettaton fight.

"I'm so sorry Clover," Frisk told Clover. "Chara is grouchy but they're not always this bad…" They smiled. "They'll be a lot nicer when Asriel comes back. I promise!"

"They better, because they're a pain." Clover grumbled, eyeing Chara. They were arguing with Melody over something. Frisk sighed too. They hated to admit it, but Chara was really quite a pain.


	12. Mettaton EX

**A\N: I'm not totally happy with this chapter but after this one things are going to get more exciting. ;) There are only around four chapters left, including this one. I'm gonna spam update this a little since I do still want to finish it.**

 **Happiest of the reading to you all!**

* * *

" _Psst… Chara… please… wake up… I don't like this plan anymore._ "

" _You should be smiling too. Aren't you excited? Aren't you happy?_ "

 _Chara smiled._

" _You're going to be free._ "

Chara blinked. _Just one more fight,_ they chided themself. _You're so, so close._

"So, through here, we fight Mettaton?" Clover asked Frisk, pointing at a door that led to the elevator to ASGORE's. Frisk nodded cheerfully.

"Though, it'll be a little interesting…" they said with a smirk. "There's a few things that make this battle… special."

"Well let's get it over with then." Chara grumbled, storming inside. Mettaton was standing in their way. Chara resisted the urge to stab him with a knife.

"OH YES," Mettaton said. "THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS. IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN."

"FINALLY!" Brayden cheered. Melody shushed him.

 _How much longer will I survive?_ Chara pondered.

"IT'S TIME TO STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT," Mettaton said. He paused. "... NOT! MALFUNCTIONING? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL."

"Excuse me?" Melody asked.

"THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW," Mettaton replied. "AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU ALL FOR FOOLS THE WHOLE TIME. AS SHE WATCHED YOU ALL ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE APART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT YOURSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU CHILDREN. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK THAT SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON… THAT SHE'S NOT."

"WAIT WHAT?!" Brayden yelled. "ALPHYS WAS LYING?!'

"But Alphys…" Cody looked away. He felt… terribly betrayed.

"You didn't tell us this, Frisk." Melody said, eyeing Frisk.

"So?" Frisk asked casually. "It doesn't really matter."

"Useless." Chara mumbled. "Waste of time."

"Uh, it does, a little," Melody responded. "We really thought Alphys was genuinely trying to help us there. Turns out, she was lying the whole time! She's a total back-stabber! And you didn't say _anything about that_?"

"She's got a point there." Clover agreed, folding her arms.

"Never wanted them there." Chara mumbled.

"Let some liars have their fun." Frisk said that in a cheerful tone. They twitched uncomfortably. Something seemed to be irking them. "Go on, Mettaton!"

"They must be dead." Chara mumbled. They stood in the corner, hugging themself, repeatedly telling themself to keep it together.

Mettaton continued rambling. Chara did not move from their spot in the corner. Frisk eyed them cautiously. Something seemed off about them. They were shivering like they were freezing, despite being in Hotland. They weren't moving from the corner.

"Chara looks sick…" Faye said, eyeing Frisk. "Are they okay?"

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine," Frisk giggled half-heartedly. "You know Chara, always being a downer." They turned around and faced Mettaton. "Now let's get this party started!"

A door slammed, locking Alphys out. The kids eyed each other.

"SORRY, FOLKS!" Mettaton exclaimed. "THE OLD SHOW'S BEEN CANCELLED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!"

The platform the kids were standing on lit up with red lights. It started rising speedily into the air.

"YEAH!" Brayden cheered, excited to finally battle Mettaton. Melody looked annoyed. Cody looked a little nervous. For some odd reason, Clover felt like she had to protect him. Percy burrowed his face in his notebook.

"REAL DRAMA!" Mettaton yelled. "REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW… 'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT'!"

"Mettaton attacks." Chara said, holding onto their knees.

Mettaton said, "YES, I WAS-"

"You were the one that re-arranged the CORE and hired everyone to kill us." Frisk said, folding their arms.

"YOU'RE GOOD! I ASSUME YOU KNOW WHAT I'LL SAY NEXT?" Mettaton asked.

"Yep," Frisk replied. They dipped their head. "You'll kill us yourself."

"GREAT ANSWER!" Mettaton clapped. "YOU ARE ONE SMART COOKIE!"

"I'll show you smart cookie," Chara suddenly grumbled, looking up. Their face was completely hidden. "You will listen to me, robot."

"IT'S NOT YOUR TURN, DARLING!" Mettaton cackled. "BUT DON'T YOU WORRY, I'M AWARE OF YOUR LITTLE PLAN TO SAVE YOUR FRIEND. HOWEVER, I CANNOT LET YOU PASS."

"Why's that?" Clover asked, holding up her pistol.

"ASGORE WILL STOP YOU AND HE WILL TAKE YOUR SOULS," Mettaton said. "HE WILL USE THEM TO DESTROY HUMANITY."

"Oh! I heard about that!" Cody looked scared.

"But it won't happen, don'tcha worry," Frisk said brightly. They looked down for a moment. " **I mean, you're going to die anyway, but not to ASGORE.** "

"... what?" Cody asked, raising his brow.

"Nothing, nothing!" Frisk waved their hands. Clover, meanwhile, was shooting Mettaton with her pistol. She was frustrated. The pistol was doing no damage whatsoever. Mettaton found it hilarious. Clover didn't. Frisk patted her arm.

"Hey, you're doing great **for an idiot,** " they told her. They blushed. "Um, forget that last part. But hey! I've got this fight covered!"

They had a twisted expression. " **I'm the only one that knows what they're doing. You're just in my way.** "

"Excuse me?" Clover asked. Frisk ignored her. They told Mettaton to turn around, which he did. There was a switch on his back. Frisk switched it…

And all hell went down.

"What. The heck. Is that." Melody said, crinkling her nose. Clover hid Cody's face. Chara, looking out from their corner, raised their brow.

"THOSE… LEGS!" Brayden exclaimed. Faye made a face.

"Anime…" Percy said, looking up at the sky. Frisk was just smirking.

"Ohhhh my," Mettaton said. He was basically hot now. There's your description, bye bye. "If you flipped my switch, it can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere… of my new body. How rude. Luckily for you, I've been aching to show this off. As thanks, I'll give you all a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments…" He smirked. "ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"

"Mettaton EX can go die in a hole," Chara mumbled from their corner. "I mean - Mettaton Ex makes his premiere. Yuck."

"Chara dammit!" Frisk groaned, pulling their hair.

"I really don't want to do this." Melody admitted.

" **Of course you don't, you're a brat** ," Frisk replied. They smacked themself. "I MEAN! No worries, 'cause I've got a plan." They grinned. "We dance 'til we drop!"

"Awww what?!" Brayden groaned. "I hate dancing!"

" **You think you can complain about dancing while I suffer from traumatic memories constantly recurring and replaying in my head?** " Frisk asked.

"What?!" Brayden asked. Frisk grabbed the sides of their head.

"I don't know," they said. They felt panic rise up in them.

What was going on? Why were they saying these things?

Frisk grinned through the pain. "Let's just focus on the battle, huh?"

The kids approached Mettaton and danced, making his ratings soar. Mettaton flung his legs at them, sending them running around like idiots. Brayden challenged the robot a few times. He ended up accidentally doing the cha cha with Melody… again. Unsurprisingly, neither of them were happy about this.

"Drama! Romance! Bloodshed!" Mettaton exclaimed. "I'm the idol everyone craves!"

" **Go to Hell**." Frisk spat. They covered their mouth. "I… I didn't mean to say that!"

Everyone stared at them.

"Smile for the camera!" Mettaton giggled.

"Clover! Fire!" Frisk yelled. Clover fired at some approaching legs and arms, her aim pretty good. She suddenly missed a shot, causing Melody to get hurt.

"Why me?" Melody asked, clutching her side.

" **You insufficient idiot**." Frisk growled at Clover. They covered their mouth. "I… I don't know what's going on! I'm serious!"

Clover tilted her head in suspicion.

"Time for an essay question!" Mettaton asked. " _What do you love most about Mettaton?_ "

"HIS LEGS!" Brayden answered. He looked flustered afterwards.

"His dancing." Melody said. She frowned. "But not his attacks."

"I actually do like his attacks." Clover grumbled.

"His… hair?" Cody suggested, teetering anxiously.

"He looks somewhat like a vocaloid." Percy said.

"His passion." Faye said quietly.

" **When he pisses off.** " Frisk answered. They blushed again. "I mean, his legs! His legs!"

"There is really something wrong with you." Melody said, eyeing Frisk.

"I know, but….." Frisk made a face. A twisted, wonky smile. " **Why should you care? You're about to die.** "

"What?!" Melody exclaimed.

"No no no!" Frisk shook their head frantically. "Never mind!"

"But how are you on the dance floor?" Mettaton asked. A disco ball appeared, flicking different coloured lasers everywhere. They turned into different colours as they approached the kids. Most of them were blue, so the children couldn't move. Unless they were white. Then they were unavoidable, unless one fired a bullet at the disco ball and turned them blue.

"Clover, shoot!" Frisk ordered.

"You're not gonna call me names again, are ya?" Clover asked, raising her brow.

" **Do it or I'll have your soul for breakfast**." Frisk threatened. They shook their head. "I mean, it's really important!"

"I know." Clover sighed. She fired at the approaching lasers, turning them blue. The kids stayed still, including a reluctant Brayden.

"Good, we're halfway there!" Frisk cheered brightly. " **Not much longer until you all die.** " They smiled like they had never said the last sentence.

Their head felt fuzzy. Their heart pounded. _It was so close…_

Chara stood up and walked over from their corner. Their walking was wobbly. The jacket was completely covering them.

"Are you okay, Chara?" Cody asked them with concern.

"I'm fine." Chara responded.

" **They're not, they hate themself.** " Frisk blurted. Chara glared at them. Frisk, for a split second, saw Chara's face had… cracks on it…?

"I'm here to finish this." Chara grumbled. They glared at Mettaton. "You won't stand in my way."

"What exactly are you gonna do, pardner?" Clover asked.

"Do what I must." Chara responded. They eyed Frisk. "Give me that magical sword of yours."

"Why?" Frisk asked. " **You'll kill him, won't you?** " They covered their mouth.

"I'll do what I must." Chara repeated. They held out their gloved hand. "Sword."

Frisk reluctantly handed Chara their magical red sword (that's definitely not from Glitchtale). Chara observed it, turning it around in their fingers.

"I don't like this." Melody admitted.

" **You don't like anything.** " Frisk grumbled. They stuck their hand in their mouth.

"I feel like they will incapacitate him." Percy said, observing his notes. Frisk said something with their hand in their mouth. No one could understand them. Thank goodness for that.

"You," Chara glared at Mettaton. "I've waited long enough. I even had to borrow some of Frisk's determination to wait more."

"Is that why I was saying those things?" Frisk asked. They made a face. Chara's negative energy was getting to them. "Chara DAMMIT!"

"But I will not wait anymore," Chara growled. They held up the sword and adjusted the jacket. " **You are not the one who is in control**."

"What are you talking about, darling?" Mettaton asked. Chara raced forward, determination in their eyes. They held out the sword. It had been a long time since they'd done this. They weren't sure if they _wanted_ to do this.

"They better not kill him," Clover grumbled. "Or else it would be… what's the word…"

"Hypocrisy." Percy said.

"That's it," Clover said, eyeing him. "'Hypocrisy'."

"Chara, I don't like this!" Frisk admitted, folding their arms.

"Well, we should stop them!" Melody proclaimed.

"I'LL DO IT!" Brayden yelled. He ran after Chara.

"What exactly are you doing?" Mettaton asked Chara. "I love a bit of drama, but-"

He was interrupted by Chara slicing him across the chest. A critical hit.

"Chara!" Frisk yelled. " **You sick murderer!** " This time, they didn't try to stop themself. Brayden tackled Chara, pinning them to the ground. They looked really nervous about it. Like they were going to break at any second. Frisk grabbed their sword. They tried to make it disappear, but they couldn't.

"H… ha…" Mettaton laughed. He was nothing but a head now. "You really are determined to find your best friend. And with that strength and determination, darling, I know… you will make it past ASGORE."

"I was not planning to fight him," Chara said sadly, looking over at Mettaton. They didn't resist Brayden pinning them down. "But if you had listened, robot… you would have saved yourself."

"I know, I know," Mettaton replied. "But… while I might seem like I'm dying now, Dr. Alphys can always repair me. And… besides… even if I'm not cut out to be a star… I still got to perform for some humans, didn't I? So, thank you, darlings…"

He grinned, yelling, "You've been a great audience!"

 _ **BOOM!**_

Mettaton was lying on the ground, dead and broken. Gone.

"Chara!" Everyone glared at Chara.

"You are very dead." Frisk told Chara, giving them a one-eyed glare. Chara kicked Brayden in the crotch and stood up.

"He is a robot, not a monster," they said, eyeing Frisk. "He'll be fine."

"That doesn't mean you get to kill him." Clover growled, giving Chara the stink-eye.

"What's Alphys going to say?" Cody asked, looking anxious.

"I… I managed to open the lock!" Alphys said, walking in. "Are you guys…" She saw Mettaton. "Oh my god. Mettaton! Mettaton, are you…"

She tried to smile. "H…. heh, it's fine! I can always build a new robot..."

"Mettaton said he could be repaired…" Faye said quietly. Alphys looked down in disappointment.

Everyone glared at Chara again.

Chara sighed. They turned to Frisk. "Frisk. Can I speak to you in private for a moment?"

Frisk pouted. "Fine."

* * *

Chara and Frisk left the other humans behind and entered a hall, which led to the elevator.

"Frisk…" Chara crossed their arms.

"I don't forgive you for killing Mettaton." Frisk said, putting their hands on their hips.

"I don't care about that," Chara deadpanned. They were lying. They cared a lot.

They wished they hadn't done it now.

They adjusted Sans' jacket. "What I have to say is far more important than that."

Frisk tilted their head. "How so?"

"Frisk…" Chara made a face. "When we go into that elevator to ASGORE's, we… we are not bringing the other humans with us."

"What!? Why not?!" Frisk asked, suddenly aggressive.

"This is not about them, Frisk," Chara responded angrily. "It was never about them. It was about _saving Asriel._ "

"There's nothing wrong with bringing them, Chara!" Frisk spat back. "They're-"

" _They will get in the way!_ " Chara yelled, clenching their fists. "They already have! They will not be coming with us!"

"Yes they will!" Frisk said. They looked down for a moment. "Chara, if you want to SAVE Asriel, we… we need them to…"

" _We don't need them for anything!_ " Chara demanded. "That's final!"

"Chara, you don't understand!" Frisk yelled in protest.

"I understand perfectly!" Chara snapped. They walked back into the room with Mettaton.

"Chara!" Frisk yelled, following them. "CHARA!"

"Listen up," Chara spoke to all the humans. And Alphys, who was mourning Mettaton. "Frisk and myself have agreed on something."

"Not true!" Frisk yelled. Chara ignored them.

"What's that?" Clover asked, tilting her head.

"You all will not be coming with us to SAVE Asriel." Chara said. Immediately everyone started shouting. Aside from the kids who don't shout.

"WHAT!" Brayden wanted to beat the living crap out of those two lookalikes. "BUT WE'RE A TEAM!"

"Not anymore," Chara replied. "This is where we end the 'team'. It was never meant to be a team. So you all will not be coming!"

"You can't just dump us like that." Clover growled, glaring at Chara straight in the eyes.

"This is my mission, I will do whatever I please," Chara spat. "If you really want to SAVE Asriel, you will stay here and _not_ protest."

"But we want to go home as well." Percy spoke up.

"Well, you can't!" Chara argued. "You're all wasting my time! I'm not staying here to listen to your nonsense!" They glared at Frisk. "Come on, Frisk! Let's leave!"

"IF YOU WANNA LEAVE YOU'LL HAVE TO FIGHT ME FIRST!" Brayden growled, standing in front of Chara and Frisk.

"Oh please," Chara rolled their eyes. "You really do lack a brain, don't you?"

" **I think you're the one that lacks a brain, Chara.** " Frisk mumbled. They didn't stop themself this time.

"OHHH SKEWERED LIKE KEBABS!" Brayden yelled. He shook his head and put his fist in his palm. "BUT HEY! We're NOT gonna let you do this by yourselves!"

"Yes, you are," Chara replied.

"Chara-" Frisk began, but Chara ignored them.

" _I_ let you come on this quest, _I_ decide when you will no longer be on it." they growled, glaring at Brayden. He glared back at them.

Chara grabbed Frisk's sword before they could give their consent and stabbed Brayden's side. He yelped and fell on the ground in pain, blood spilling around him.

"I told you I could beat you in a fight." Chara said darkly. They stormed forward, entering the hall. They dropped Frisk's sword. It was covered in blood. Frisk picked it up. Finally, they could make it disappear. Chara's determination had apparently affected their sword as well as Frisk themself. Frisk wasn't that surprised.

Frisk smiled at the other humans one last time. Cody was by Brayden's side, since he knew about first aid. Brayden looked up at Frisk.

"I'm sorry." Frisk told him, their voice weak. Faye appeared behind them.

"Toriel asked me to look after you and Chara…" she said quietly. She handed Frisk a bandage. "I don't know if I'm any good at that though… but… just remember… don't do something just because it makes Chara happy… do it because it's the right thing to do."

"Thanks." Frisk said, blushing a little. They mumbled, "You're pretty cute, Faye. But… your heart doesn't belong to me." They jerked their head at Brayden. "You go for it, girl."

Faye blushed. Frisk winked at her, waved at everyone else, then followed Chara down the hall. Chara was glaring at the elevator, their hands behind their back. Frisk couldn't make eye contact. It made them too angry. Yet at the same time, they were scared.

Horribly scared.

"We are almost there," Chara said. They were shivering once again.

"Yes." Frisk deadpanned. "I didn't know that, Chara."

The elevator door opened. Frisk and Chara entered. Frisk pressed a button. The elevator began slowly moving up. Chara stood in the corner, observing themself.

 _You should be happy,_ they told themself. _You should be smiling._ _He's going to be free._

They removed one of Frisk's gloves. Their hand was covered in little white cracks, which were spreading across their entire body. Including their legs and face, but Chara had managed to suppress those. They hadn't told anyone, but their determination was faltering. It was weak in this timeline. And, since their determination made up their physical body, when it ran out…

Chara would be gone.

They didn't want to burden anyone else with this information. Not even Frisk. So they kept it to themself, by covering themself in clothing. It was worth everything else.

It was so close now, but Chara was still worried they'd run out of time. They could barely suppress the cracks anymore. But they knew it would be okay. As soon as Asriel was saved, Frisk could take them all to another timeline and Chara's determination would be restored.

It was going to be okay.

 _If it's so okay, why can't I stop shaking?_ Chara asked themself. They observed their hand once more. Fear raced through them.

"I'm running out of time." they mumbled.


	13. Determination

**A/N: WHOOO ONLY THREE CHAPS LEFT! Let's just say things get intense in this chap. ;)**

* * *

Chara and Frisk walked side by side through New Home. They observed the grey city. It seemed empty, lack of life and energy. Yet it was fascinating at the same time.

Chara and Frisk didn't speak to each other as they walked. Frisk was angry. They did not want to speak to Chara. And Chara was dead terrified. Yet, also excited. And also a little sad. They would never admit it, but they… kind of missed the other humans. They had grown somewhat attached to them. Chara hoped, and they would definitely _not_ admit this, but they hoped the other humans could be saved as well. Those humans weren't so bad. Chara wished there were more humans like them.

The kids approached Asgore's house. In front of them was a SAVE point. Frisk saved. The two observed the grey house for a moment. It was like a grey version of Toriel's.

"Frisk," Chara eyed the stick-wielding child. Frisk stared at them. "I will not repeat this, but… thank you. For everything." They paused, looking at their shoes. "And... I'm sorry."

"You're welcome." Frisk replied, their voice cheerful once again. They wrapped their arms around Chara, giving them a hug. Chara tensed up. "I love you so much, Chara."

"Alright, love is much too far." Chara said, shoving Frisk off. Chara entered the house, trying not to blush intensely. Frisk was right behind them, eyeing the basement, which had a locked gate in front of it.

"Don't worry Chara," they said. "I know where the keys are."

"I know you do." Chara replied. They folded their arms. "Now hurry up and get them. My dagger too if you would."

"You can help too, Chara." Frisk said, making a face.

"Right, of course." Chara mumbled, their voice cracking. They wiped their eyes. This place brought back too many memories. They could almost see Asriel and themself drawing in front of the fireplace, while Toriel and Asgore watched with smiles on their faces.

Chara forced a smile. They would not cry. They did _not_ cry.

Chara entered their old bedroom. They eyed the small bunk beds. Their bed. His bed.

Chara once again held back tears. They forced themself to smile.

They eyed the presents sitting on the ground. They remembered those. They reached into one of the presents and pulled out a worn dagger. Perfect for cutting plants and vines.

Chara turned to the other present. Inside was a heart locket. Chara observed it. On the locket it said Best Friends Forever.

"I'll be there soon, Asriel," Chara said, fastening the necklace around their neck. "I promise." They trembled. The cracks were crawling up their face again. Chara yelped, collapsing onto the floor. They screamed, trying to force them away.

"Not… yet…!" Chara yelled. Their fingers sunk into the carpet as they kept screaming, forcing themself to stay alive.

"Chara!" Frisk burst in. The cracks disappeared from Chara's face. Chara turned around and glared at Frisk.

"Can I not have a moment of privacy?" they asked spitefully, still trembling.

"Chara…" Frisk stared at them. "What's happening to you?"

"Nothing is happening to me," Chara answered, holding out their dagger. "Did you find the keys yet? We should be leaving soon."

"Chara, there's something wrong with you." Frisk said, their face covered in shadows. "I want to know _what_."

"There is nothing wrong with me," Chara growled. They stood up. "Let's leave."

"Chara." Frisk said. They stood in front of Chara, stubborn determination in their eyes.

"Stop trying to help me!" Chara growled. They choked up, tears threatening to spill. "Stop it! Stop being kind! Stop making me feel guilty! Stop making me care about you! Stop being nice to me! _STOP IT NOW!_ "

They clenched their fists, trembling. Their breath was shaky.

"Oh, Chara…" Frisk suddenly looked terribly upset. "It's… really nice to hear that… but…" Their lip trembled. "I…. I…"

They gulped. "I've been… lying to you…"

"How so?" Chara asked, tilting their head.

"Chara… you can't save Asriel without a sacrifice in this timeline," Frisk told them. "Someone has to die." They paused. "I was going to… sacrifice myself and the other humans, then you and Asriel could go to the main timeline and live happily with the others…"

Chara looked furious. They clenched their fists. "You… you planned this all out, did you not? So… so you did know the other humans were in this timeline after all!"

"Yes, I did," Frisk replied. "I knew them beforehand as well. And so did you. But I knew if you knew them, you wouldn't let them die for you. So I wiped your memory before we entered this timeline. And as you know, there are plenty of other Frisks around to replace me. So when we all died, you wouldn't care as much. And you'd get to be with Asriel."

"You're…" Chara was enraged. "You are _disgusting_! Do you think I want more people to die because of me!? You wanted to slaughter innocent children, because in your sick mind, you thought that would make me happy?"

"Chara-" Frisk began.

"That explains why you wanted them to come with us, doesn't it?!" Chara growled. "And as well as that, you lied about saving Asriel. He can't be saved here. Which means everything was a waste of time."

Frisk frowned. "Chara-"

"I believed you could be good," Chara spat. "I tried to give you a second chance. But I was wrong. You are nothing but a filthy monster who deserves to rot in Hell."

With that note, Chara turned and sped towards the basement, covering their face with Sans' jacket. They raced down the stairs, their running scattered.

"Wait, Chara!" Frisk yelled. They took off after the First Human, screaming their name. "Chara!"

Chara kept running, covering their face. Their breathing had picked up. They were barely looking where they were going, but they had been through here so many times they didn't need to see. Asriel's voice was screaming out to them, making the child run faster. They were so close.

"Chara!" Frisk yelled out behind them. "Wait!"

Chara didn't stop. Tears were burning behind their eyes. Their body felt like china, like it would smash at any moment. But Chara didn't care. They kept going, a horrible sensation building up inside them. So close.

"Chara!" Frisk's voice was growing further away. "CHARA!"

Chara entered the judgement ball. They ignored the SAVE point, continuing their pursue. They ran past the pillars, their hands trembling. Sans was ahead.

"whoa, kiddo, what happened to you?" he asked.

"Skeleton," Chara paused and stared at him. Sans saw their cracked face.

He sounded concerned. "kiddo, your face-"

"You will get your jacket back soon," Chara breathed. They smiled at him. "I promise." They ran off, clutching their sides. Sans eyed them suspiciously.

"Sans!" Frisk entered the hall. "Did Chara come through here?"

"yep," Sans answered. "and… i hate to _break_ it to you, frisk, but you could say they were 'cracking up'."

"What?" Frisk asked, tilting their head.

"their face was covered in cracks," Sans told them. "they were literally 'cracking up." He paused. "you'd better go after them."

"Oh Hell I will!" Frisk yelled. They took off, determination in their eyes.

"good luck kid." Sans sighed.

* * *

Chara was standing in front of the Throne Room. This was it. The end of their journey was at hand. Finally.

Or was it? Asriel couldn't be saved without a sacrifice. Chara knew now. Everything they had worked up for… it turned out to be a lie. Chara wiped their eyes. This was not the end. Maybe by some slim chance of luck, they could still do something.

Chara looked back. They could hear Frisk's footsteps. They were not interested in speaking to Frisk at all. So they entered the Throne Room. Their heart stopped.

Asgore was standing over the garden of golden flowers, watering them. Chara shivered. They couldn't face Asgore. They couldn't.

So like a spy, Chara snuck around Asgore, their head down. Thankfully for them, the monster didn't notice them at all. Chara felt insanely relieved. If Asgore saw them…

Chara arrived in the next room. It was a small room, much like the first room in the whole Underground. Chara felt memories tugging at their SOUL again. Everything made them want to cry.

Suddenly, Flowey appeared in front of them. Chara's heart skipped a beat.

"Howdy, Chara!" Flowey greeted cheerfully. "Welcome home! Remember when we used to play here?"

"Yes," Chara answered with very little emotion. "I do."

"Anyway, I know why you're here," Flowey replied. He chuckled. "I don't want to doubt you Chara, but you really shouldn't have listened to Frisk. They're such a liar."

He grinned. "But _I'm_ not like them! I would never betray you!"

Chara laughed. "I know you wouldn't. You were always a great friend, Azzy."

"Yeah!" Flowey smiled. "And do you know what? Frisk was hiding something from you! Unsurprisingly." He shook his petals. "When I was alive, I absorbed your soul, right? And you know that Frisk has the same soul trait as you. This means that we don't need the souls of the other humans to turn me back into Asriel. We just need Frisk's!"

Chara raised their brow. Did Frisk know this? They must have. Chara realised… that Frisk must've not wanted to be alone when they died. They wanted company. So that's why…

"It's so easy, right?" Flowey asked. "We just need Frisk's soul, and we'll finally be together again!"

Chara frowned. They currently hated Frisk with every ounce of their being, but… not even Frisk deserved to die for them.

"Aw c'mon Chara," Flowey smiled. "If Frisk stays alive, they'll just burden you with more and more lies. They'll break your heart over and over. Because the truth is Frisk doesn't care about you at all. They only care about themself."

"I…" Chara felt speechless. Flowey was right, but they still couldn't imagine Frisk being gone…

"There are thousands of other Frisks in other timelines," Flowey added. "Frisk said it themself! You can go and find a new Frisk to befriend. But you know what you can't find? Me. Asriel."

Flowey's face darkened. "You will _never_ be able to save me in any other timeline."

"Chara!" Frisk suddenly burst in.

"Well well well, speak of the angel!" Flowey cackled. His voice turned dark. "You little waste of space." A vine suddenly wrapped around Frisk, trapping them. They struggled against the vine, screaming curses. The vine hoisted Frisk into the air.

Chara's face darkened.

"Chara!" Frisk screamed, their voice full of desperation. "Help me!"

"You don't want to save that little traitor, do you, Chara?" Flowey asked, stealing Chara's attention. "Look what destruction they've done. They'll only do more!"

"Chara, please!" Frisk begged, sounding emotional. "I'm so sorry! I just wanted to make you happy!"

"Chara, it's me, your best friend!" Flowey screamed. "Once I have Frisk's soul, we'll be together forever! Just like old times!"

"Chara, he's lying to you!" Frisk yelled. "My soul won't sustain him forever! He'll die and everything will go to waste!"

" _They're_ the one that's lying!" Flowey bellowed. "They just don't want to die!" He sounded emotional too. "Chara! You _can't_ listen to them! You have to listen to me, your best friend! You came in this timeline for _me_!"

"Chara!" Frisk was screaming, tears flowing down their cheeks. "I've made a lot of mistakes, and I know you're upset with me, but I've tried so hard to make it up to you! Just rescue me, I'll reset, and we can try again! And I promise, I'll be a much better friend next time!"

"LIAR!" Flowey bellowed. "YOU'RE ALWAYS LYING!"

"YOU'RE ALWAYS LYING!" Frisk screamed back.

"ENOUGH!" Chara yelled, covering their ears. The cracks crawled past their chin. They trembled. "I have made a choice."

Chara turned towards Frisk. "Frisk… I just wanted to say..."

"Oh, thank you Chara," Frisk beamed. "I knew-"

"That I never really hated you," Chara interrupted. They looked down. "I was merely upset. A grudge was held. But I see… that you are not so bad. You have your moments."

"Great, that's great, and we can have plenty more of those moments after you rescue me!" Frisk cheered, cocking their head to the side.

"Which is why I have to say… I'm sorry, Frisk," Chara said, not facing Frisk. "But we will not be having any of those moments ever again." They faced Flowey, their voice dry and empty. "Take their SOUL, Flowey."

"What!" Frisk suddenly looked panicked. They were sweating. "Chara, please, no, you can't do this to me, I'm your friend-"

But it was too late. A vine had gone through Frisk's chest, taking their soul. Frisk's eyes widened. The vine took Frisk's soul and dropped the body on the ground. Chara eyed it for a few moments. Their heart was pounding. They wanted to scream.

"Frisk…" Chara said. "Frisk… I..."

Chara wanted to believe Frisk would suddenly get up, just like they always did. Frisk was like a rubber band. They bounced back every time. But now they had finally snapped. Frisk was not getting up. And they would never again.

Frisk was gone.

"Frisk…" Chara bowed their head, covering their face.

" _You're not very nice to them," Faye's words appeared in Chara's mind._

 _"Why should I be? They don't deserve kindness."_

 _"... why not?"_

 _"Because they're… not the angel you think they are."_

Chara regretted saying that now. Frisk was an angel. They were not the greatest angel, but they were an angel all the same. And Flowey was wrong. Despite everything, Frisk did care about Chara. They were willing to sacrifice themself for Chara's happiness.

Frisk was determined. Frisk was kind. Frisk was selfish. Frisk was brave. Frisk was a lot of things.

And now they were gone.

"Don't look so sad, Chara," Flowey spoke up, smiling at his best friend. "I'm finally free!"

He absorbed Frisk's vibrant, red soul. There was a flash of bright light. Chara covered their eyes, stepping back. When they opened them again, they could barely suppress their emotion.

"Howdy, Chara," a voice spoke up. The goat child was standing in front of Chara. He looked just as Chara remembered. "It's me, your best friend."

"Asriel Dreemurr…" Chara said, a grin appearing on their face. They tried to stand up, but they felt overwhelmed with emotion. They almost didn't believe this was real. Asriel was here. He had finally returned.

Chara had saved their best friend.

"It's been so long, Chara!" Asriel said, walking over to Chara. The cracks appeared on Chara's face. But Chara didn't care. Asriel was here now.

"Chara… what's wrong with you?" Asriel asked, observing Chara's face. "You're… covered in…"

"It doesn't matter Azz," Chara responded. "We're finally back together."

They grabbed Asriel's shoulders. "And we're never splitting up again. Ever."

"Chara… you're… disintegrating…" Asriel spat out, eyeing his bestie. Chara's face darkened. They removed Sans' hoodie. Their body, indeed, was slowly disappearing. Chara was dying.

Chara wanted to scream. They finally saved their best friend, and now they were dying. They couldn't suppress the cracks anymore. They were going to be gone in not much time.

"No," Chara fell to their knees. "No. NO. I will not lose you again Asriel. We will never be separated ever again."

Chara's face was covered in a shadow. Their eyes glowed red, as well as their smile. Their creepy face. Asriel stepped back.

"If we cannot both stay alive, then we will both die," Chara said, their voice demonic. They held out their dagger. They approached Asriel. " **We will die together, Asriel.** "

"Chara… please…" Asriel sounded scared. "I don't want to-"

"Are you doubting me, Asriel?" Chara asked. Their eyes glowed. "No. I know you would never doubt me. I assure you there is nothing to be afraid of. We will be always be together. We will never be separated again. All I need you to do… is die for me."

"Chara, please…" Asriel began.

"Stay still, Asriel," Chara held up their dagger. "I will try to make this quick."

Chara lunged forward with their dagger.


	14. Love

**A/N: This was really hard to write and I don't know why… but I hope it punches you in the feels. It helps if you listen to the music mentioned. I've never been good at writing these kind of chapters. :P**

 **This was also inspired by the Dreemurr Reborn fight - you can go check it out on YouTube if you haven't already seen it.**

* * *

Asriel yelped, leaping out of the way. He grabbed his shirt in his fist, fear crawling up his spine. Chara had their dagger stuck in the ground. They got up, staring at Asriel with that creepy smile. For now, their cracks had gone - they were replaced with a glowing, red aura.

"This does not have to be long and painful, Asriel," Chara informed him. "We can make this quick."

"Chara…" Asriel began. Chara lunged at him again with their dagger. Asriel stepped back in fright. He was certainly scared. But Frisk's determination gave him the power to carry on.

"It has certainly been a long time, has it not?" Chara said, smiling. "I see you have not changed at all. You are just as gentle as you were before."

" _Asriel,_ " a voice appeared in Asriel's head. Frisk. " _Call for help!_ "

"Help!" Asriel shouted, covering his face. He felt a positive feeling. He felt a little better.

"I envied all monsters for having such compassion," Chara replied. They attempted to kick Asriel, Melody style. He got a bruise on his face. "You were all so different from humans. I was… honestly quite afraid. I had not expected such kindness."

"Help!" Asriel repeated. Chara trembled.

"You all welcomed me and treated me like I was family," they replied. They looked up, their face normal. They had a sad smile. "All I wanted to do was return the love you had shared with me. Was this a mistake, Asriel…?" They looked down. "Oh well. It does not matter now. Let bygones be bygones. And you and I be together… forever."

Chara balled their fists. They raced forward, throwing their fists at Asriel, Brayden style. Frisk took control of their and Asriel's body, dodging the attacks.

"I really wish you would give in," Chara sighed. "It would spare everyone so much pain."

They looked up once more. "It would spare _me_ so much pain."

" _Asriel!_ " Frisk's voice appeared once again. " _Don't give up! Keep yelling for help!_ "

"Help!" Asriel yelled. A happy memory played in his head. He and Chara were planting a flower in the garden. His HP steadily increased.

The real Chara was twitching. Their eyes glowed red.

"I will not be patient forever," they said. "You will come with me."

Red knives surrounded the goat child. Frisk felt determination running through their combined souls.

"I've got this, Asriel," they told Asriel. They brought out their magical sword, except now it was in Asriel's grip. They reflected the knives rather efficiently. Chara looked frustrated.

"You give me no choice," they told Asriel threateningly. "If you are to die… I must not hold back anymore."

Asriel yelped and stepped back. Chara had changed in the worst way possible. They had become glowing, vibrant red with a black aura. A horrible feeling surrounded them.

"They're not Chara anymore," Frisk said with horror. "They're… LOVE."

* * *

 **A/N: Play Undertale (the song, not the game). No seriously do it. It makes this more sad...**

 _"Come on, Chara!" Asriel said, taking his best friend's hand. "You'll love it, I promise!"_

 _"Okay…" Chara replied quietly, lacing their fingers together. The best friends arrived in the garden. A new patch of golden flowers had bloomed._

 _"Surprise!" Asriel said, grinning. "Golden flowers! Your favourite, Chara!"_

 _"Oh my…" Chara almost smiled. "You… you grew these for me?"_

 _"Yep!" Asriel laughed. He shrugged. "Well, with Dad's help of course."_

 _He knelt down and picked some flowers. He offered them to Chara._

 _"I don't deserve any gift…" Chara said, looking away._

 _"Don't be silly, Chara," Asriel grinned. "You're amazing! You've given everyone hope that we will return to the surface one day. Without you, we'd all be hopeless."_

 _"Oh…" Chara blushed. "Thank you, Asriel. You're too nice to me…" They accepted the flowers._

 _"Mom! Dad!" Asriel yelled at his house. "Chara loves the garden!"_

 _Toriel and Asgore emerged from the home. They looked so happy to see the children together._

 _"Let us take a photo to remember this moment." Toriel suggested. The two children, holding bunches of flowers, stood in front of their parents. Chara hid their face behind their flowers. They were very camera shy. They couldn't stand to see their face anywhere. Asriel had a big grin on his face. That made Chara happy to see him happy._

 _Chara observed the golden flowers. This gave them an idea. Monsters could absorb human souls, right? And a human with a monster soul (or vice versa) could pass through the barrier… this got Chara thinking. What if Asriel absorbed their soul, went through the barrier, collected six more souls, then destroyed the barrier?_

 _Chara's eyes brightened. It was the perfect plan. But how would they…?_

 _Chara observed the flowers once again. They had heard golden flowers were poisonous. But they weren't exactly sure. They needed a test subject…_

 _"Asriel," Chara looked at their best friend. "I have an idea. We should make a butterscotch pie for Dad."_

 _"That's a great idea, Chara!" Asriel replied. And so Chara's plan was brought into action._

 _..._

 _"Chara, look!" Chara and Asriel were walking through Waterfall. "It's us!"_

 _Chara and Asriel were standing on a puddle. They could see their reflections. Chara smiled._

 _"Despite everything, it's still us." they said._

 _"Hee hee, yeah," Asriel agreed. "Come this way! There's more you have to see!"_

 _Asriel led Chara to a magnificent view of the castle. It was surrounded by twinkling rocks in the ceiling. Chara looked starstruck._

 _"That's mom and dad's palace," Asriel told them. "This is the best view of it. I could spend hours looking at it, hee hee."_

 _Chara sat down. They felt… contemplative. Asriel observed them._

 _"Are you okay, Chara?" he asked._

 _"Asriel…" Chara's voice felt small. "Humans forced your people underground, trapping you here with a magical barrier that is near impossible to shatter." They paused. "Do you... hate them? Do you hate humanity?"_

 _"Do I hate humanity…?" Asriel looked thoughtful. "Nah, I don't hate humans. Some humans might be mean, but… not all humans are bad, right?"_

 _Chara frowned. "Even after everything they did to you, you still believe in them…? Even though I am… a human myself?"_

 _"It's okay to forgive people, Chara." Asriel told them with a smile. "And, besides… to me, it doesn't matter… human, monster, whatever you are… you'll always be my best friend."_

 _Chara smiled._

 _..._

 _Chara and Asriel were drawing in front of the fireplace. Chara was drawing a picture of a golden flower._

 _"That's a nice picture, Chara," Asriel told Chara. "We should hang it up in our room!"_

 _"If you want." Chara replied. They were hiding a drawing of a sweater. Asriel, however, managed to see it._

 _"Why does that sweater say 'Mr. Dad Guy'?" he asked._

 _"It's nothing." Chara said, covering the drawing with their hand._

 _"Is it meant to be for Dad?" Asriel asked. He laughed. "Oh Chara, you can just call him 'Dad'."_

 _"I'm not used to having a dad," Chara mumbled. "At least… a good one."_

 _"Well, you've got a good one now," Asriel replied, smiling. "And the rest of us too! A whole family that loves you, Chara."_

 _Chara wanted to cry. But they refused._

* * *

 **A/N: Play Megalo Strike Back. (Even though it's not really Chara's theme.)**

Asriel found it extremely hard to dodge Chara's attacks. If Frisk wasn't there, he feared…

"I'll do whatever it takes to kill you and keep you, Asriel." Chara said, their voice creepy.

" _Just hold on, Asriel_ ," Frisk told Asriel. " _We will make it through this!_ "

Chara ran forward, their eyes glowing. A knife scraped past Asriel's shoulder. Chara had much more where that came from. Knives appeared from everywhere. Asriel held out Frisk's sword, propelling himself off the ground. A knife pierced down his back. He yelped.

"Help!" Asriel bleated. He felt a voice calling out to him. His HP increased.

"I've been waiting so long for this," Chara continued. "I refuse to wait any longer!"

Chara charged forward, holding out a knife. Asriel held up Frisk's sword. The weapons clashed together, as if the children were fencing. Chara's eye twitched. Asriel was filled with DETERMINATION. He would not lose this fight.

Asriel knocked the knife out of Chara's hand. They looked stunned.

"You do not give up, do you?" they asked. They laughed. "You really do have Frisk's soul."

"Chara…" Asriel began.

"No matter," Chara said. The black aura around them grew. "I am determined too. You will lose to me."

" _Hold on a little longer._ " Frisk's voice echoed above Asriel's head.

"I am the Fallen Human," Chara announced. "I am the one who ultimately brings forth the end of the world! This is MY game! I am the one who is in control! Not you!"

Asriel felt feelings of hate and resentment surround him. Tears filled his eyes. He fell to his knees, his HP slowly declining. Chara was staring at him, watching him die. Their eyes were hidden. But they were tense.

"Is this how you feel, Chara?" Asriel asked. He realised something. "You… you're lonely, aren't you?"

"I won't be for much longer." Chara responded. But they sounded… hesitant.

Asriel knew it now. Chara needed his help. They were desperate for his empathy and understanding. Something they hadn't had for a long time. Asriel knew what had to do. He knew how to SAVE Chara.

"You were never alone, Chara," Asriel told them. "I was always with you."

Asriel's strength was slowly returning. He got to his feet.

"That is not true," Chara growled. "You let humans kill you. If that hadn't happened… you would still be alive."

"Killing them wasn't the right thing to do, Chara," Asriel replied. "But you said let bygones be bygones, right?" He smiled. "Even when I was a flower, and I lost the ability to care… all my thoughts were about you, Chara. I still thought about you. All I wanted was to bring you back."

"I will not listen to this," Chara snapped. "You will not convince me!"

They threw more knives at Asriel. But their aim was wonky. Asriel was easily able to avoid many of the knives.

"And, despite everything…" Asriel smiled. "You'll always be my best friend, no matter what."

"And we can be together if you just give in!" Chara yelled, throwing even more knives. "But you _REFUSE TO DIE!_ "

"But… I've learned you have to make some hard choices sometimes," Asriel told Chara. "I know you hate being lonely. And I do too. But… it's going to be okay, Chara. I know you don't want to believe it, but… it's going to be okay."

"NO!" Chara screamed. "THERE IS NO HAPPY ENDING FOR US! THIS IS THE ONLY WAY!"

"No, it's not, Chara," Asriel replied patiently. "I have Frisk's SOUL, I will be gone straight after death. And I know… that death won't bring us peace anyway. But we will still always have each other in our hearts. We still believe in each other after everything. It's going to be okay, Chara… I promise."

 **A/N: Play His Theme… preferably a slowed down version.**

Chara lunged for Asriel once more. "NO! IT'S NOT! FRISK WILL RESET AND BETRAY EVERYONE AGAIN! DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND? I CAN'T LIVE WITH THIS!"

Asriel stepped back. "Chara, please-"

Chara glowed with black and red energy. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A REJECT! EVERYONE DISAPPOINTED ME, EVERYONE ASIDE FROM YOU! AND NOW YOU HAVE JOINED THAT LIST!"

Asriel held out his hand. "Chara-"

Chara threw another knife at Asriel. "JUST DIE FOR ME, ASRIEL! I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE YOU AGAIN!"

"Chara…" Asriel said, avoiding the knife.

"ASRIEL…" Chara fell to their knees, reverting to their regular self. "Asriel… I… I'm… I'm so scared, Asriel…"

They sobbed a little. "I'm… I'm so lonely… I just want you back again… I don't want you to leave me!"

"Oh Chara…" Asriel sat down beside them. "It's okay. I'm right here..."

"Ha ha…" Chara laughed. "You were always there for me. I am just being ungrateful."

They looked down. "I was always so selfish, was I not? Even now… I want you to die for me… and I previously believed no one should have to die for me."

"I'm still your best friend, Chara," Asriel said. "We promised to be best friends forever."

"We always were." Chara replied, smiling. Suddenly, the cracks appeared on their body, increasing at a fast rate. Chara didn't look fazed.

"Chara…" Asriel began. "You're…"

"I know," Chara replied, smiling like nothing was wrong. "But as you said, it's okay, Asriel. It will be okay."

"Chara… I didn't know it would happen so fast…" Asriel held back a sniffle. "I didn't even get to apologize."

"You never needed to apologize," Chara told him, cracks appearing across their face. "I was the one who needed to apologize."

They laughed. "Isn't this funny? I did not even get to say goodbye to the other humans. Oh well." They grabbed Asriel's shoulder. "Tell them, if you see them, I said goodbye."

"Of course, Chara…" Asriel said, sniffling.

"Crying, I see," Chara laughed some more. "You still are a cry-baby, even after all this time."

"I don't think I can say goodbye…" Asriel cried into his sleeve. Chara wrapped their arms around him, giving him a tight hug.

"Then we will do it together." they said. Asriel, at first, stiffened with surprise. Then he cried harder, hugging Chara back.

"If you are in there, Frisk," Chara whispered. They were slowly disintegrating. "Take good care of Asriel for me, will you not?"

"Chara…" Asriel's face was wet with tears. "Please… don't go yet… I…" He cried. "I'm not ready!"

"Ha… ha…" Chara was almost gone. "You were the best friend I could have ever asked for, Asriel…"

"Chara, no!" Asriel yelled, sobbing heavily.

But Chara was gone.

...

 _"This way, Chara," Asriel said, helping Chara walk along the path. "This is where my parents live."_

 _"Would they really want me there…?" Chara asked._

 _Asriel smiled. "Of course they would! They'd welcome you."_

 _"Welcome me…" Chara looked down, like they didn't agree._

 _"Hey," Asriel grinned back at them. "Do you wanna be friends?"_

 _"Friends…?" Chara asked. "I've… never had a friend before."_

 _"Neither have I," Asriel said, taking their hand. "Hey! Let's be best friends!"_

 _"Yes," Chara agreed. "Best friends forever."_

* * *

 **A/N: Anyone been punched in the feels? I hope so, as mean as that sounds. 0_o I recently read a sad book about a dog dying at the end… so that gave me some inspiration as well as Dreemurr Reborn. XD**


	15. Reset - END

**A/N: IT'S THE FINAL CHAPTER, DA AH NA NA, DA NA NA NA! And I finished it before going back to the hell that is school! And it also means I can go back to working on the original. XD The ending is a little strange, but it makes more sense after Grouptale finishes.**

 **Happy reading folks!**

* * *

The elevator was finally working again.

"I'M GONNA BEAT THE CRAP OUTTA THOSE TWO!" Brayden yelled when the elevator arrived at Asgore's. He raced out, yelling a battle cry. Clover chased after him, her gun in hand.

"Slow down!" Melody squeaked. She ran after those two, clutching her side.

"I hope they're okay," Cody said, biting his lip.

"According to my calculations, they could have saved Asriel and all still be alive, or something terrible could have happened," Percy said. "I don't want to trust my 'gut feelings', but I don't think anything good happened."

"Well… it's just gut feelings, right?" Cody laughed anxiously. "So they could be wrong?"

"They could." Percy agreed. "But they could not."

Faye trailed behind a little, but she was keeping up. She wanted to stop and look around, but her friends were more important.

 _Frisk and Chara._

Faye hadn't met anyone like them, but she liked them both. Frisk was cheerful and fun and Chara was a bit mean, but they had a kind side. Faye hoped they were both okay. She wanted to meet Asriel too. He sounded nice.

Meanwhile, Brayden was miles ahead. He had no time for stopping and looking around! He had some gender-neutral kids to save. He stormed through ASGORE's house. He raced down the stairs, yelling out for Frisk and Chara. Clover and Melody were on his heels.

"Brayden slow down!" Melody exclaimed.

"NO WAY!" Brayden yelled back. Some monsters tried to tell him a story, but he wasn't interested. Eventually, he reached the Judgement hall. He could see Sans ahead.

"hey, kiddos," Sans said. "i was wondering where you guys were."

"Have Frisk and Chara been here?" Brayden asked. Clover and Melody were behind him. The other three were catching up.

"yeah, they came through here a while ago," Sans told them. "they, uh, didn't look too good. i'll let you kids go after them. their situation was pretty serious." He moved out of the way.

"Thank you." Melody told him. Percy and the others were now catching up. Melody grabbed Percy's arm. "Come on, Percy!"

"Um…" Percy didn't get to say anything, Melody was dragging him off. Clover made sure her brother was following, as well as Faye. The kids approached the throne room. Asgore was no longer there. It seemed he had left. This didn't really bother the kids. They were looking for Frisk and Chara.

"FRISK!" Brayden yelled, storming through the golden flower garden. "CHARA!"

"Wait up, pardner!" Clover was behind him. She made a face. "Where are those two?"

"Frisk?" Cody called out. "Chara?"

"Frisk!" Faye squeaked from a room nearby the barrier. It was the closest sound she had ever made to yelling. Everyone entered that room. They did not like what they found.

"Oh my god…" Melody made a face of pure horror. "That's not…"

"Frisk…" Faye started crying. The kids were surrounding Frisk's corpse.

"WHO THE HELL DID THIS!?" Brayden yelled. He punched the wall, trying not to cry himself. "THEY WERE MY FRIEND!"

"I…" Percy looked like he was about to have a panic attack. "I… I…"

"Frisk…" Cody started crying too. Clover had a dark look on her face. She hadn't known Frisk for as long as everybody else, but she still felt attached to them. She would find whoever killed Frisk and they would pay. Clover would make sure of it.

"Oh, no…" an unfamiliar voice spoke up. It belonged to what looked like a child version of Toriel. "You guys must be the other fallen humans, right?"

"Who're you?" Clover asked him.

"Are you… Asriel?" Melody asked.

"Yeah, that's me," Asriel replied, bowing his head. "I'm Asriel. Chara's best friend."

"DO YOU KNOW WHO KILLED FRISK!?" Brayden asked angrily. Asriel stepped back.

"Yeah, I do…" he looked down. "It was me."

"WHAT?" Everyone yelled together.

"I have Frisk's SOUL." Asriel told them. He held out his and Frisk's combined soul. "But I can-"

"You…" Brayden looked mad beyond words. "I'LL FREAKING KILL YOU!"

"I bet you did something to Chara, too," Clover growled. "What'd you do to them?!"

Clover and Brayden approached Asriel. Melody joined in, giving Asriel a glare. The others stayed back. Cody was still crying. Percy was taking notes. Faye looked away.

"Just hear me out!" Asriel replied.

"NEVER!" Brayden yelled, trying to punch him. "FRISK WAS MY FRIEND!"

Clover held out her gun. "And I thought Chara was the bad one."

"Guys, wait!" Frisk spoke through Asriel. Everyone recognised their voice. "Don't hurt him!"

"Frisk…?" Clover looked dumbfounded.

"YOU'RE IN THERE!?" Brayden asked.

"Frisk… oh my god…" Melody looked relieved.

"Listen, guys." Frisk said. They explained everything that had happened, including Asriel's backstory. Frisk was very angry with Chara. How dare they keep secrets from them? If Frisk knew about Chara's... situation, Frisk would have never taken Chara into this timeline. But it was too late now.

"Oh Frisk…" Faye looked upset.

"Can't you come back?" Brayden asked. "Like, return to your body or something?"

"Re-load your save," Percy told them. (When did he find out about that?) "Then you can bring yourself and Chara back."

"But not Asriel," Frisk replied. They sighed. "And it doesn't matter. Even if I re-load, Chara will die again anyway. This timeline is stuffed. And no, Brayden, I can't return to my body. Not like this."

"Then what are we gonna do?" Clover asked.

"I have to break my promise to everyone," Frisk sighed. "I have to do a true reset."

"A true reset?" Asriel asked. "But that means-"

"I know what it means," Frisk replied. "But it's the only way to bring Chara and myself back. Then…" They laughed. "This is actually really funny. Why? Because it was a complete waste of time." They laughed. "We didn't achieve anything. Nothing happened. This was all pointless."

"Well, you learned that some timelines suck…" Faye said. "And that this would make great fanfiction material."

"Ooh!" Percy said, getting fanfic ideas.

Frisk laughed again. "True. But now, it's time to reset. I don't want to remember this."

"Wait, does that mean we have to say goodbye?" Cody asked, suddenly sad.

"Oh, Cody, there are no goodbyes," Frisk replied cheerfully. "Only 'see-you-laters'!" They mumbled, "Or 'see-you-nevers'."

"BUT YOU JUST CAME BACK, EVEN THOUGH YOU LIVE IN A FLUFFY GOAT NOW!" Brayden complained.

"You'll see me again Brayden, don't worry," Frisk told him comfortingly. "You all will."

"What's a true reset anyway?" Brayden asked, confused.

"Doesn't matter." Frisk shrugged. Cody ran forward and hugged Frisk/Asriel. Frisk/Asriel blushed in surprise. Everyone gradually joined in on the group hug. Frisk laughed, while Asriel cried. The feelings were mixed.

"Like Chara said, it's going to be okay…" Frisk said. "I promise."

Then everything was reset.

* * *

Frisk woke up in a bed in their bedroom. It was morning. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming… it looked like a nice day for staying inside and writing terrible fanfictions.

Frisk got up. They didn't bother to change out of their pajamas. They raced over to Chara's bedroom and opened the door. Chara, to their utmost relief, was sound asleep on their bed. Frisk ran over and gave them a hug, waking them up.

"FRISK!" Chara yelled, shoving them off. "GET OFF ME!"

"Chara," Frisk smiled at them. "Forget the timeline I told you about. It won't help us save Asriel. And one more thing." They paused. "If you're ever dealing with any kind of trouble, please… tell me, okay?"

"So I stayed over here for no reason?" Chara groaned.

"No," Frisk said. "You stayed over here to make me smile!" They hugged Chara again.

"I hate you so much." Chara spat.

"I love you too, Chara." Frisk said, smiling.

* * *

 **A/N: Frisk x Chara for life tho am I rite? Hmm... cute friends is better. XD And yes, I know the ending is a little odd, but like I said, it will make more sense after Grouptale finishes. Let's just say it isn't entirely disconnected from the original...**

 **Well, I hope you guys liked this fanfic, and if you haven't read the original, go check it out. It's much, much longer, but also much better. XD You'll like the characters a lot more after reading it.**

 **Feel free to fave, follow and whatever else! Reviews tend to make me nervous, but you can leave one anyway. L8ter sk8ters, and have a good one! :D**


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